


Blub Blub, Bitch

by Glutamine



Category: Monsta X (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Abusive Past relationships, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Bad Puns, Claiming, Hoseok needs a break, I wanna kill myself uni vibe, Imprinting, Jeon Jungkook is Whipped, Love Triangles, M/M, Magical Scars, Magical shit, Mates, Mating Rituals, Mermaid Hyungwon, Mermaid Minhyuk, Mermaid Yoongi, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Reunions, Self-Hatred, Self-Loathing, Sexual Tension, So I gave him his break, Some angst, Stressed Hoseok, University Life, alternate universe merfolk, are all real, bad past relationships, bad suicidal puns, college kid Namjoon, college kid Seokjin, merfolk have great sense of smell, mermaid, mermaid au, mermaid jimin, merman, namjin argue like they're married, shop owner taehyung
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2019-07-18 14:08:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16120070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glutamine/pseuds/Glutamine
Summary: Hoseok gets fed up with the people around him, so he hides out at his sister’s place for an escape.('A chance to discover yourself-''Shut up Namjoon')He also discovers the hard way not to go rage swimming deep in the ocean late at night.





	1. I

_Nothing ever wants to go my way_. Pouty eight-year-old Hoseok glares at the swirling colours that represent the tropical storm and its possible paths on the news weather channel. After his parents had _finally_ agreed, after months of pleading and begging, to go visit his sister who lived off the coast of Busan, their plans were being threatened by some stupid watery tornado that may not even affect them. His mother had started repacking everything to accompany the possible weather, and his father had started yelling about alternative trips, or cancelling their weekend all together.

It was a mess, he had a headache, he wanted the ocean.

Furiously, he smashes the rubber _off_ button, cracking the plastic remote, and wonders over to go see if his mother needs help with anything. Helping her would further the trip along, right?

After what seemed like hours, the three of them finally pack the car and were rolling down the road. His father still protests the whole way, depicting their death, getting more and more gruesome with each scenario. His mother finally turns the radio on loudly and tells him to shut up.

The rest of the trip is silent save for the radio.

 

* * *

  

By the time they pull into his sister’s driveway, the sky is dark with murky clouds that look how Hoseok feels. Scowling he remembers his mother’s words, and he doesn't want to wait to go to the beach, he wants to be in the ocean _now,_ not tomorrow _._ But by the looks of the storm clouds hovering above the small seaside village, he may never get the chance.

So as rebellious as any eight-year-old can get, he sneaks out when all the lights are off in swim trunks, old sandals, and a towel wrapped around his neck. Ain’t no _tropical storm_ stopping him.

Hoseok hates the beach. There’s always way too many tourists, half of them creepy, another half annoying. Sand is absolutely abysmal and always full of sharp broken treasures that can stab through his sandals. The sun is always too bright bright _bright._ But the clouds and lack of people help. And there’s the ocean.

The ocean.

Hoseok adores the ocean.

It’s one giant mystery, half its depths unexplored, most of it too dangerous to even catch a glimpse remotely. It’s unpredictable and equally unfair to everyone. The ocean will drown people Hoseok hates, as well as people he cares for. A swirling pool of mystery, hidden adventures, hidden dangers. And salty. Hoseok isn’t quite sure what his sister meant when she called one of her friends _salty_ over her phone, but he likes it.

Throwing his towel, Hoseok tries to sprint through the rocky sand until he realizes his sandals are still on. He flings them in the direction of his towel, not really caring how accurate his aim is, and nearly falls flat on his face in trying to turn around and run at the same time. Before he knows it, he’s knee deep in the swirling ocean, and no longer thinking about the trouble he could get in or the possible storm or the dangers of the ocean, Hoseok swims. It’s too shallow to do a proper dive, so he awkwardly belly flops face first into the salty expanse as inky powerful waves wash over his head.

He pops his head above the surface, his breaths filled with joyful giggling as he splashes around. Going under, coming back up, going under again and again and again until-

When he comes up this time, his laughter dies when he realizes how far from the shoreline the ocean has dragged him. Maybe he should start swimming back.

_But I can’t. Oops._

The thought is the last in Hoseok’s head before he’s dragged down with the merciless ocean current.

_Up up up up for air airairairarirrrrrrrrrrrr..._

No more air.

 

* * *

 

 

Lungs are burning, palms are sweaty, mom’s spaghetti.

Coughing, so much coughing, hacking up water, spitting up salt and -

Air.

His throat is raw, and he thinks he sees a hint of dark in his spit up, but it’s ok because he has _air-_

'Hoi?'

His insides are cramping, another breath in, more water up. More, more more moremoremoremore air.

‘Hoi!’ The voice is angrier this time, and Hoseok notices he’s not alone.

The kid, they look like a kid, looks a few years older than Hoseok himself. His dark stringy hair plasters itself to his flushed face, eyes ablaze with anger and concern? He said something, something that sounds angry and reprimanding, but Hoseok can’t understand. All he hears is the frustration growing in the kid’s tone and the ringing in his ears. What he does understand is the small voice in his head that tell him to stay away, tells him that he’s in danger.

Is the foreign kid dangerous? Why is he staring at him from the water? Isn’t he cold?

Hoseok sits up, only now noticing how swollen his right ankle has become. It hurts to move, he realizes as he tries to kneel, and going anywhere with such an injury will be painful, if not impossible.

The kid falls silent watching Hoseok, points to his foot and says something in his strange garble.

‘Yeah, it hurts. No, don’t touch it! You won’t make it better that way. Hey, I said don’t touch it. No!’ The kid drags Hoseok closer to him by his ankle with hidden strength, examines it like he would a fish, and _bites it_ , _hard._ He barely flinches as Hoseok screeches echo throughout the hidden cove. _Why are this kid’s teeth so damn sharp?_ The kid then presumes to lick it, almost in an apology. When he lets go of his leg, Hoseok scrambles back as far as the rocks let him. Much to his surprise, the swelling has gone down almost all the way and is nearly back to a normal colour.

‘Wha’d ya do to it?’ Fear shakes his voice as he tries to stop shivering from the cold, from the fear, from whatever just happened-

But the kid isn't looking at him, he's looking out the mouth of the secluded cove, fidgeting with something. He turns around and starts to say something, stops, then- ‘Stay.’ It’s heavily accented and sounds unfamiliar from his mouth. Hoseok opens his mouth to protest, to ask the millions of questions bouncing in his head, but before he knows it the kid’s gone.

With nothing else left to do other than wallow in his misery and mistakes, Hoseok sleeps.

 

* * *

 

‘Hobi? Hello? Hobihobi? Hoseok? Annyeong? Anyone there? Are you- _Jung motherfucking Hoseok!_ ’

Hoseok is startled out of his memory, dropping his pen and leaving ink blots all over his essay draft. ‘What?’ He snaps back.

He loves his friend, he really does. Kim Seokjin has been there for Hoseok when it seems the world is against him, which it seems to be at the moment. All his professes want papers turned in on the same day, another class requiring a full presentation that he’d barely started on, and to top it off, his boss is extending his hours starting the next week at the office supply store he works at. A miracle he’d be over the moon for was it given to him at literally any other point in his life. But now it only adds to his already growing stress levels.

‘You’ve been burning a hole into that paper for the past twenty minutes. I understand writing about the different types of edible seaweed isn't always the funnest of things to do, but I don’t think your professor will accept a paper that’s half ink blots.’

‘ _Fuck_ .’ There was a giant splotch of ink that covers most of the corner of his paper. Great, now he’d have to rewrite most of it.  _Again._

‘Are you sure you’re ok, Hobi?’

A short silence and then, ‘I’ve been thinking about what you said.’

‘Which part of what I said? The part where you look funny when you sleep or that you need to get laid?’

‘Taking time off. I can’t do this anymore. I’m too stressed all the time, I hate going to class, I’d rather jump into the feeding tank than go to biology. People always told me bullshit about following my dream and to do what I loved, but uni has kinda crushed all that.’

‘A novel, by Jung Hoseok.’

‘I’m being serious, Hyung!’ He tosses his pen at Seokjin and hits his chin. ‘You switched majors, you’ve felt the same way before right?’

‘Not exactly, but I understand where you're coming from.’ Seokjin had switched from nursing to culinary studies, but more so because of work opportunities. He was already working at a cosy bakery as an assistant patissier. He had loved his nursing classes, but when he realized he’d have to go to school for another four years before he could even think about internships, he switched to his second greatest passion, baking.

Hoseok was embarrassed for his reason for going into marine biology, so he always gave the basic automatic answer of _I’ve always loved the ocean._ The ocean would forever and always be his first love, but his real reason for majoring in the subject was his hope of finding the kind of sea creature had bitten him when he was younger. The memory of his idiotic younger self is fuzzy at best, but he mostly remembers swimming in the ocean during a storm, nearly drowning, getting bit by some strange shark-like creature before being coughed up on the shoreline, miraculously surviving.

‘You're doing it again.’

‘What?’

‘You rub your ankle whenever you get nervous.’

Great, now he’s even developing habits around this strange thing. It already ached before it rained. What next? Would it start changing colours based on his mood? Would it heat up near his future spouse?

‘But aside from it all, are you sure taking time off is really what you want? You're already in your third year, and winter break is soon.’

Hoseok felt a twinge of annoyance. Ever since he first breathed the words _gap year_ , everyone has been up his ass about the dangers of taking time off, becoming unmotivated, getting into a slump, getting behind, accumulating debt.

‘Yeah, I’m pretty sure. It’s not like I haven't talked to _all_ of my counsellor about it _countless times_. I-’ Hoseok could rant about it for another solid hour, but Seokjin’s phone went off loudly cutting him off.

‘Joon, what'd you break this time?’ Jin answers, trying hard not to laugh. Hoseok could hear Namjoon make an undignified noise from the other side of the line. ‘No, I’m with Hoseok. Yes. Library, second floor. What? Why? So you did break something? That's the very the definition of broken. Just meet up with us, and if you can bring what you _kinda_ broke, do that.’

‘How do you kinda break something? Isn't it like digging a hole? You either do or you don't? You can't have half a hole, just like you can't really kinda break something.’

‘Shut up Hobi. What? Look, even Hobi agrees with me. No, I- Know what, just meet us here.’ Seokjin half tosses half drops his phone on the table, making Hoseok wince. ‘What?’

‘Your poor phone.’

Seokjin rolled his eyes. ‘It needs to die for me to convince my mother to get me a new one.’

Twenty minutes later their peaceful silence was broken by Namjoon arriving and almost immediately getting into an argument with Seokjin on whether something can be partly broken or not.

‘Broken is broken!’

‘But it could be so much worse. It’s suffered _minimal_ damage, which makes it only _partly_ broken.’

‘It’s still broken!’

‘When I’ve taken stuff to a shop, they ask how broken it is! Making it a valid question!’

Hoseok wants to puncture his eardrums with his pen. ‘I’m leaving. Call me when you’ve fucked it out.’

Seokjin turns bright red; Namjoon starts sputtering incoherently.

‘At least I’m not dropping out of university!’

Namjoon suddenly stops trying to justify his lack of desire for screwing Seokjin, ‘You're dropping? Why?’

‘What the fuck? I’m not dropping. I’m _thinking_ about taking time off. Seokjin’s being an asshole.’

‘Do ya hate it that much?’ Namjoon inquires.

‘It’s not that I hate it. It’s just too much. I’m too over my head, and if I have to do any more of this, I’m actually gonna go insane. I need a break, and not just from all the work. If it was just the work I wouldn’t mind.’ He started drawing inky patterns on his new piece of notepaper that was meant for his new draft so he didn't have to meet his friend’s eyes. ‘It’s the pressure to do well, plus all the scrutiny I’m receiving from at least three of my professors, on top of increased hours at work.’ Hoseok sighed heavily, sitting back in his chair. ‘I don’t wanna run away from anything, which is what I feel like I’m doing. I just wanna get away.’

His friends were silent for a moment, absorbing what he said. Namjoon finally broke the silence, ‘Ya know, I was thinking of taking a gap year and working, to help with finances and stuff. That was before I was offered all my scholarships of course, but if it’s what you want to do, and if you think it’ll help you, I say go for it, man. We all get overwhelmed, and you look like you're in over your head. Do you have a plan for what you’d do if you took time off?’

Hoseok just stares at his friend. He got so caught up in fighting to convince them that he wasn't making a mistake by taking time off, that he didn’t even think to what he would actually _do._ His first thought is to stay home, enjoy his increased hours at his mediocre job, and catch up on all his anime; his _to watch_ list growing quite long. He could even visit his sister, it felt like forever since he had last seen her. He could search for somewhere to intern at and build his resume. He could rethink his life and change his major despite being three and a half years into his current one.

‘Kinda. I was more worried about convincing you guys that I wasn’t _dropping out_.’ He spits in Seokjin’s direction.

He holds his arms up in surrender, ‘Alright, alright, I get it. Low blow.’

‘What do you want to do? That’s mainly what taking time off is about, right? Finding yourself?’

‘I’m taking time off to not go insane and jump off the dorm building, not to become some American hippie vagabond.’ Hoseok glares at Namjoon.

‘Stop being so defensive about the whole thing. You're more worried about what we think about you taking time off than what you’re actually gonna  _do_. That’s part of your problem.’

‘Dammit Joon, stop pointing out my flaws. You're degrading my god-like self to the level of a mere human.’

Seokjin snorts loudly. ‘Speaking of godlike destruction...’

Namjoon doesn’t even look sheepish as he unzips his backpack and pulls out his Bluetooth speaker and hands it to Hoseok.

‘Wha’d you do to it? Look at it? Sneeze in its direction?’

‘I tried turning it on and knocked it over. I think I killed it.’

‘You probably just dislocated the battery or knocked some wires loose. I’ll open it up when I get back to my dorm.’

‘Thank man. My speaker owes you its life.’

'Your speaker doesn't have a life.' Seokjin gracefully points out.

'Go forth, oh great speaker necromancer.'

'Shut up, Joon.'

 

* * *

 

Hoseok collapses on his bed, almost falling off the side. He was so exhausted after finally rewriting an inkblot free essay draft, that he wouldn’t have cared if he fell through the floor.

He takes the broken speaker out of his bag so he doesn’t forget about it or damage it further. May as well get this over with. Setting the device on the foot of his bed, he digs through his wormhole of a desk drawer to find his screwdriver set so he can start the speaker dissection. As he predicted, some of the wires connecting the power supply to the main motherboard had been knocked loose. After screwing the whole thing back together, he took a picture of it and drew mini stitches on the panel that he just closed and sent it to Namjoon.

[23:05] Hobihobi: Ur Frankenspeaker is done! 

[img 2354872398DR44345.png]

Namjoon’s words stick in his head. _You're more worried about what we think._ The more Hoseok thought about the statement, the more he realizes how true Namjoon's words are. He was more worried about what people would think about his real reason for going into biology, he was worried about what people would think if he kept pursuing dance, despite really enjoying it. One of the girls in his class had made a comment about how it was weird that Hoseok was the only boy in the class, and he had quit a few weeks later. He was letting other people and their opinions make his life choices for him.

It was time to start living for himself, and not other people, and that's what this break was going to accomplish. As vagabond-ish as it sounded, Hoseok was going to find his inner self.

Nope. Too far. Too hippie. Too...just nope.

Before he knew what he was doing, he found his phone and dials his older sister.

She picks up on the third ring, ‘Hello? Seokie-ah?’

‘Hey, Noona. Is that spare bedroom of yours still furnished?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally found the time to edit this boio!


	2. II

‘Hoseokieya.’ A slightly drunken Dawon croones. ‘I’m glad you’ve joined the dark side of college dropouts.’

‘For the last time, it's _time off, and not-’_

‘Technicalities~’ Hoseok’s older sister had still been surprised by his sudden appearance despite his phone call not even twenty-four hours earlier. What had shocked her, even more, was Hoseok’s _dropping out declaration_ , as she calls it. Aside from the beginning awkwardness, she welcomed him gladly and said she was more than happy he was taking his time off with her and he was welcomed to stay as long as his phase lasted. Hoseok didn’t know how to feel about the word _phase_ , so he pushed it to the back of his mind, left for later drunken contemplation. As soon as Hoseok started to think that Dawon had gotten nicer, she started talking about all the house chores he could do, and all the documents he could organize, and all the dresses his nice frame could model for her. At least she settled with him paying for takeout instead.

Dawon’s phone pings loudly, ending their ‘‘friendly argument’’. She picks it up and groans at the sight of the caller ID. ‘Do Noona a favour and clean up, yeah? I have an important business call I completely forgot about and should be completely sober for. Trash is on the left side of the house, thanks!’ Before she even finishes her last sentence, she’s running around gathering her things and running out the door while trying not to drop her phone or the call. ‘Hello, Jung Dawon-’

The clean up is easy - disposing of the cartons of greasy chicken and empty beer bottles takes two minutes, and wiping down the table takes one. It takes five more minutes of staring at the same spot on a wall for Hoseok to realize he’s _bored._ Something he hasn’t felt in a long time.

Hoseok decides he doesn't like feeling bored. There’s so much to do around him, he’s just too lazy to actually do any of it. He slips his shoes on and heads out the back door into the chilly evening air.

Dawon’s house is a medium sized flat in a spread out neighbourhood on top of a cliff overlooking the town. The town itself is a small seaside town that thrives off fishing and tourism, but the town has more rocky shoreline, caves and coves than it does bleached sandy beaches. The nip in tonight’s air also drives off most tourists searching for a warm sunny beach. From the backyard, Hoseok can see the neighbouring town as well as the jetty that separates the coastline of the two towns. As appealing as scaling the rocks sounds, he decides to save it for a slightly warmer, less windy day. After grabbing a jacket and locking the back door, Hoseok decides to wander around the town, unsure of what’s open at this evening hour.

This side of town is eerie at dusk, with all the buildings cast long shadows that give the whole town a _Twilight Zone_ feeling. As soon as Hoseok enters the downtown, its like he entered a whole new dimension. Eerie shadows are replaced with fairy lights and lanterns, the silence swapped with the buzz of conversation. The whole downtown seems to be open, despite the later hour. Most of the buildings are open seating restaurants or bars, with a few surf shops sprinkled in between. One particular souvenir shop draws Hoseok’s attention.  

It’s a smaller building with a faded awning. The window has a nice array of shells and dried corral, with a fishnet curtain sprinkled with starfish and conch shells covering the upper half. Hoseok's not really sure how he ends up face pressed into the sandy wood floors of the store. It could have been the raised door jam, or the annoyingly beautiful man behind the register, or the sharp pain that ran through his ankle the moment he entered the shop. Maybe Hoseok just forgot how to fucking walk altogether, like the functioning human being he is.

‘Hey man, you good?’ It’s the cashier, looking somewhat concerned. ‘I _felt_ that fall from the other side of the store.’

‘Yeah, yeah I’m good.’ Hoseok rubs his face, refusing to meet the cashier's eyes out of embarrassment. ‘Didn’t realise your floor was raised so high.’

‘Ah, yeah. Used to have a step in front of the damn thing but it died a month ago. Haven’t quite gotten around to replacing it yet.’ There’s something about this kid’s accent that strikes Hoseok familiar as if he’s heard it before. It’s faint, but there, as if the kid’s trying to work it off.

He should just leave, and never come back, but this kid...the longer he stares at Hoseok, the more he feels unnerving. Then the cashier breaks the staring contest, ‘That looks kinda ugly. I think I have an ice pack in the back. Want me to grab it?’

He should say no, he should leave, he should- ‘Sure, thanks.’

As the kid disappears behind the beaded divider that probably leads to the back room, Hoseok tries to stand up without having another meet and greet with the floor. Making his way over to the checkout counter, Hoseok decides the whole store has an attic vibe to it. It has the same dusty air smell with bookcases and makeshift shelves packed with everything from sea glass sculptures to starfish magnets to titty wine bottle openers. Wooden signs hang from the walls with cheesy-beachy slogans, along with some cliff landscape posters. Even the old lead plumbing pipes that hang from the ceiling are used as t-shirt overstock storage.

‘Here, found one that was cold.’ The kid comes back with a deformed ice pack that has smiley faces all over it, startling Hoseok.

‘Thanks.’ He repeats again, at lose for more words. But then he manages to dig some up out of the stifling silence that’s nearly unbearable. ‘Nice shop. It’s cute. Well, as cute as a shop can get.’

The blond cashier smiles widely. ‘Thanks. A friend and I deep sea dive for half of the merchandise ourselves.’

‘Woah, really?’ Hoseok stares at the man with wide eyes.

‘Yeah. I also make most the bracelets and keychains we sell.’

‘You make the bottle openers too?’

The blond snorts. ‘Those were in the boxes that were left in the back. Had half a mind to toss them till my friend said it be smart to sell them. I told him I didn’t want to sell that shit in my store, but they’re surprisingly popular with some of the tourists, ya know?’

‘I’m almost surprised they don’t also come in the shape of whale dicks.’

‘You and me both, mate. You and me both.’

‘Ah, I’m Hoseok.’ He holds his hand out to shake. The blond just stares at it before grasping it lightly in both hands. Hoseok only smiles at the man.

‘Taehyung. Nice to know the name of the human that tripped over my floor.’

Hoseok snorts withdrawing his hand. ‘Nice to know the name of the mystery being that offers smiley ice packs to mere humans who trip over his floor.’

Hoseok thinks he sees something flash in Taehyung’s eyes a the comment, but the other just laughs it off.

The moment shatters when a short man with pink hair plastered to his face storms in the shop, slams the door behind loudly, yelling _Kim Taehyung!_ All without tripping over the floor.

‘Aw shoot, I’m in trouble. Could you do me a quick favour, Hoseok hyung? I can call you hyung, right? I need to step out for a minute. Can you watch the shop for me? I’ll be back in less than thirty minutes, I swear! Please?’

‘What? Yeah, sure? I guess...?’ Hoseok trails off. What could have possibly come up that he needs to leave so suddenly? And why not just close the shop?

‘C’mon Chim. Let’s go.’ _Chim_ seems frozen in the middle of the shop, eyes locked on Hoseok.

‘Um, hi?’ Hoseok waves. Before Chim can say anything, Taehyung drags him out.

 

* * *

 

Jimin’s not having a good day.

Taehyung went missing. _Again_.

_As his advisor, it’s your job to make sure he’s present and always-_

Jimin’s having a really bad day _._

Advisor didn’t even really cut it: _babysitter_ was more appropriate for Jimin’s roll. It was really hard to be both a glorified supervisor and a friend to the same person.

Taehyung is one of the smartest creatures, aside from the sea turtles, Jimin knows. Taehyung is also one of the most frivolous creatures Jimin knows. (Well, aside from the jellyfish, but what Taehyung doesn't know won't sting him.) He will do anything to avoid the vast responsibility of making sure the subjects of the Bubble won’t kill each other.

_Natural selection, ya know? Makes my job and yours easier._

It wasn’t cruel if it was letting nature and instinct run its course, right?

It also doesn't help that the merboy named _supreme peacemaker_ hates most the inhabitants of the Bubble.

_They’re frivolous and greedy. I’d rather be surrounded by humans._

Hence, Jimin’s job was to make Taehyung do his. Technically he was supposed to make sure Taehyung was doing a _fair and just_ job, but at this point, it was a miracle if he could get the yellow-haired sea urchin to sit down and be present for a whole policies meeting.

Now Jimin has to do the worst part of his job. _Fetch Taehyung._ It’s almost as if he were an annoying pet dolphin instead of his best friend. Who even uses the word _fetch_ these days?

If it was just dragging Taehyung back from the depths of some shipwreck, it wouldn’t be so bad. No, this dried piece of seaweed has the _nerve_ to hide in the human realm, _forcing_ Jimin to breach the surface and undergo the painful transition.

In the tales and legends told of the upper lands and the surface, not one of them mentions how painful transforming from a seafolk to landfolk is. All the tales focus on is how wonderful the upper land is. The only small hint any of them ever offer is that a small sacrifice would need to be made to view such wonders.

 _Nothing on the upper lands is worth even a fraction of the pain I endure,_ Jimin thinks.

The pain is mind-numbing, and it never gets better no matter how often Jimin transforms. First, the scales on his cheeks, shoulders and chest dry out, growing flaky and itchy, before peeling away to reveal new skin that is always sensitive to the touch. The webbing between his fingers cracks and crumbles away. His ears snap and pop, opening up and reforming. Then his gills glue themselves shut and Jimin can’t breathe, all he can do is suffer until his windpipe opens up, ready to suck in air. But the worst part is his tail. His tail splits from the bottom up followed by awful cracking noises as bones and joints are set, and right as Jimin thinks he’s going to be ripped in two, it stops, scales melting into new skin cells. After he gets over how sensitive everything is and his new senses are adjusted, he then wobbles over to the shore and tries to not be spotted by any humans.

Unfortunately, this is not Jimin’s first nor second time on the surface. He’s lost count of the number of times he’d had to suffer and sacrifice the lines of his comfort zone to go after the young ambassador. Rough experiences have taught him to keep a spare set of clothes hidden among the secluded cove he could discreetly transform in.

The first time Jimin had invaded the human’s realm, he swore to never go back. He had almost been arrested for something called public indecency? Whatever that was. Then a rude man had forced Jimin into these strangely shaped things called clothes.

Jimin _hates_ clothes.

They were so uncomfortable and restricting,  especially on his sensitive skin. Why would anyone want to wear them voluntarily, let alone someone like Taehyung who hates being restrained?  But unfortunately, humans had something about a person walking around with nothing on. He has seen a few females close to the almost-illegally-naked standard frolicking on the beach, but no one was arresting them. In fact, the people around them seemed to be enjoying their company.

Humans were so damn confusing. So controversial. Why anyone would want to be a human is beyond Jimin.

After Jimin manages to only fall over once while getting pants on, (he’s almost proud of himself, _and_ he got the shirt on correctly on the first try) he makes his way over to the town area on slightly shaky knees, where Taehyung’s scent is the strongest. He’s usually in some shack looking structure with sad and borderline offensive decorations. Do humans seriously think merfolk look like that? Bland goldfish tales of unrealistic neon colours with long flowing hair braided with shells and seagrass? Downright offensive.

But then again, no landfolk has seen a seafolk in their true glory and lived. The Lady makes sure of that, just as she makes sure that Jimin’s transformation is as painful as it can be.

That’s perhaps the most ridiculous thing about Taehyung: he doesn't believe in The Lady.

Just as humans have their religions and beliefs, so do the inhabitants of the sea. Except for anything anyone in the sea believes at all revolves around The Lady, The Lady of the Sea. Jimin’s even heard some human fishers and sailors talking about The Lady, how she grants them luck, how she deals them death and sorrow. It’s almost laughable. The humans give his Lady ridiculous names, some so absurd he could never hope to pronounce. That’s the true difference between sea and landfolk.

Inhabitants of the sea know The Lady of the Sea’s real name, and all the humans can do is speculate about it.

But Taehyung.

_Oh, Taehyung-_

‘The sea may have a master, may have someone it answers to, but I am not the sea, just as I am not the moon nor the sky. I will answer to my own will, not that commanding the forces around me.’ Was Taehyung’s answer when Jimin asked him why he didn’t like The Lady. ‘I don’t want some...some precogitated force to make my decisions for me. That’s suffocating and I don’t want it.’

Jimin had tried. He really had, but on the rare occasion Taehyung attended a peace meeting, he often spoke out against the damnations that were The Lady’s will. It angered everyone. The council, the crowd, the prince.

The prince was a hard soul to disappoint, but when someone did, everyone felt it, almost like second-hand guilt. It was nothing short of a miracle Taehyung hasn’t been kicked out of the Bubble yet. That was probably also the prince’s doing, having a permanent soft spot for his younger brother.  

Jimin stops abruptly, almost running a small human over. Taehyung’s in his shack shop, judging by the scent, but there’s another scent, one not entirely human, one strangely familiar. Why can’t he pin it? It’s diluted and faded, so either the person is doing an awful job at masking their scent or...Jimin deems it not a thought worth finishing and decides to storm the shack despite any company Taehyung may or may not have.

Jimin storms in, yelling, ready to rip Taehyung a new human asshole, and stops completely freezes. That scent. It’s undeniably Yoongi from this distance, but the person in front of him is _definitely not_ Yoongi.

What is a mere _human_ doing with the scent of the merprince embedded in him? But before Jimin can do or ask anything, he's being dragged out of Taehyung’s shack by his arm.

He winces, the skin above his elbow still feeling raw.

‘What do they want now?’ Taehyung asks, irate, once he drags Jimin to an alcove in between two stores.

‘Taehyung-’

‘I’m sick and tired of their constant summons, especially when both of us know damn well there are many others who could do a better job. D’ya think they get off on summoning me like some kind of trained manatee?’

‘Tae-’

‘I’m not going back. I don’t want to, and I can't leave the shop. Tourist season is really picking up if you haven't noticed.’

‘Taehyung! That human! Explain-- Why-- I--’

‘You really think I know something like that? You spend most your time underwater with your head in Yoongi’s dorsal fin. Ask him. He doesn't tell me anything anymore. And before any other sounds come out of you, I met that very nice human five minutes ago. I was trying to get him to warm up to me, until _someone_ -’

‘I get it!’ Jimin grabs at his hair in frustration. ‘I ruined everything again and I’m sorry. I’ll make up for it, however, I can, but please, _please_ , Tae. Come back. Even if it’s to leave the Bubble or denounce yourself or mess with the council. If you don’t return soon, they don’t care who you are, they’ll exile you. Then you won’t even be able to come home. _Ever_.’

Taehyung’s eyes soften as he lets out a low sigh. ‘I know. I know I’m on the brink of exile. Sometimes I think that’s why hyung gave me this job. So I’d be forced to stay. Even if we all know both the job and the title of _supreme peacemaker_ is full of shit, he wanted me to stay. But dammit Jimin, I hate it there. I’d almost rather completely forget about all of it. My job, the Bubble. But I can’t forget you. Not you nor hyung nor anyone really. As relieving as exile would be, it’d also be crushing, ya know?’

Jimin feels like he’s been punched. ‘Have I told you how painful it is for me to be here?’

‘Painful? I don’t think the sun’s that bad.’

‘I’m not talking about the sun, Taehyung. I’m talking about transitioning.’

‘What about it? It’s painful for you?’ Taehyung looks up, eyes full of concern.

Irritation now replaces Jimin’s shocked sadness. ‘What the actual fuck. It’s the most painful thing I’ve ever had to go through, and it gets worse every time. Yet you...you’re telling me you just sprout a pair of legs and feel nothing?’

‘Well, not nothing, more like I go numb and feel fuzzy, but a good kind of fuzzy. But, shit Jimin, have you told Yoongi? If it’s that bad you shouldn't be sent anymore.’

‘No. You don't get it. I’m being _used_ , fucking used. The council is trying to use my pain at this point as- as-as leverage to get you to go back. And they know. They know no one else except Yoongi himself could probably get through to you, and they know... They know I hate the surface and I’d never just...swim away from it all. Or whatever it’s called with legs. Strutting? Strolling?’

‘And what’s Yoongi doing about any of that, hm? If he knows all this, why is he just letting it all happen? Don’t you bring up your crazy sea lady now.’

‘She’s not an excuse Tae. She’s our religion. But Yoongi too is out of ideas to get you back. Fuck, he’s ready to come up himself and drag you all the way back.’

‘A few more suns.’ Taehyung finally sighs out. ‘Just give me a few more days. I don’t care what you tell them, whatever works. But I have some things to deal with up here, and a new human to follow. Ask Yoongi about that when you go back, will you?’

Jimin sighs heavily. ‘Fine, three more suns. Don’t push it though. You’re already on the edge.’ Jimin starts to head back to the cove, but Taehyung calls after him, making him turn around.

‘Your transitions aren't the only painful ones.’ he calls, walking back into his shack-store, leaving Jimin to ponder his cryptic words. He just said that he felt numb when transfor- oh. Transitions into a human form were nearly painless, but what did that mean for Taehyung transitioning back? For Jimin, it was almost a relief, transitioning back, like removing a bad coral splinter from his soul he never noticed he had.  
  
The Lady could really be quite cruel at times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Class at 8am?  
> Tomorrow?  
> Writing about sea bubbles is totally productive and the best use of my time rn.  
> Thanks for reading, all the comments and love are much appreciated ^.^  
> Regular updates are a myth (Much respect to you if you make it happen)


	3. III

Hoseok’s bored again, and he doesn't like it. It’s only been twenty minutes, but he’s already examined all the merchandise on display and poked at everything that couldn’t possibly break. The collection of shells Taehyung and his friend have amassed are quite impressive, but even cool, fancy deep sea shells get boring after a while. Playing on his phone is always an option, but he must have hit his head harder than he thought. Looking at his phone screen hurts his eyes. The pain starts behind his eyes and slowly spreads to his temples, and then to his forehead, as the pain at the base of his skull goes from small to throbbing. The now soggy ice pack still helps a little, but nothing like good old acetaminophen would be. Maybe he should get his head checked out.

When the door chimes, Hoseok’s looks towards the doorway hoping for Taehyung’s return, but of course his luck does not hold out. What’s even worse is when the customer makes a beeline for Hoseok. ‘Is Taehyung-hyung in today?’

Close. He’s too close. Why does he feel the need to lean over the counter like that? ‘Um, yeah, he is. He stepped out a few minutes ago and will be back soon. I think.’

‘You think?’ Hoseok snaps his head up too fast for comfort to see a kid that looks even younger than Taehyung. His clothes are too big for his gangly frame and his dark hair is too long to see his face properly, but Hoseok could hear the sass in the kid’s tone. 

‘Look, kid, I don't know where he went or what he’s doing. I’m sitting in until then so chill the fuck out.’ The nerve of this kid, who has the gall to look annoyed. Hoseok wants to drive something sharp through his left eye. 

‘When’s he coming back?’ There’s an undertone of a whine in the harsh question. 

‘Hell if I know. As I said, I don’t know what he’s doing. Didn’t ask.’ The kid doesn’t look happy at this and opens his mouth, probably to whine at Hoseok more, but Hoseok cuts him off. ‘Just sit in the corner and wait for him to come back, kid. As long as you don’t break anything or scare anyone off you should be fine.’

The kid looks like he’s been slapped, then he pouts. Straight up fucking  _ pouts. _ But at least he does sit on a wooden stool off to the side of the counter and stares at his phone silently. After a few minutes of the two males ignoring each other's existence in favour of their phones, the question ‘Are you new here? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.’ gets asked by the child. Of course, the kid’s got some prejudice stigmatisation bullshit against tourists. 

‘Mmmm...kinda? I used to live here when I was younger, and then I moved but and my sister stayed. So I’ve been visiting here every few years.’ It seems like the simplest and best answer he can think of. What would a high schooler know about the existential crisis called college?

‘Really? Who’s your sister?’

‘Some jerk in a house.’

‘Where’s she live?’

‘In a house. It has a roof, too.’

‘No need to be an asshole.’

‘No need to fucking interrogate me.’ Hoseok scowls. ‘Plus, isn’t it past your bedtime, you twelve year old?’

The alleged twelve-year-old makes an undignified noise. ‘Excuse you, I’m twenty.’

‘ _ Bullshit _ .’

‘And I can probably javelin throw you down the surf. So watch your mouth.’

‘Respect your elders, kiddo. I don’t care who you can body slam.’

‘M name’s Jeongguk.’

‘And I don’t care.’ Whatever other comebacks and bad memes Hoseok was about to throw at Jeongguk vanish from the forefront of his mind as a drained-looking Taehyung drifts back into the shop.

‘Tae-hyung.’ Hoseok’s head snaps up, utterly shocked at how the youngest voice has taken four 360’s and is impossibly soft and filled with affection.

The shop owner manages a weak smile. ‘Hey, Gukkie.’

‘You good Taehyung? You’re not lookin too hot. What did your friend make you do? Rebuild the wall of China in forty minutes?’ Hoseok asks worriedly.

Taehyung looked at him for a minute before speaking. ‘Heh, yeah, something like that. I’m exhausted and have a few more things to do so I’m gonna close up shop now. It was nice meeting you, Hoseok. Stop by anytime. I’ll compensate you for looking after the shop somehow.’

‘Thanks, and it’s fine really. Think of it as a favour. Bye, hope you feel better? And teach this brat to respect people.’ He said, poking Jeongguk’s cheek on his way out the door. 

The door of the shop closes behind him with a soft  _ ding _ as Hoseok steps out into the chilly night.  _ Probably should’ve brought a jacket _ he thinks as he starts his way back towards his sister’s place. What he didn’t expect was to run into the angry person that had yelled at the nice shop owner, Taehyung. The angry man was shorter up close, and his pink hair looks wet, despite the chill in the night air.

_ What do I say? Do I say anything? Do I keep walking? Should I even try to make conversation- ‘ _ Did you go swimming?’ Is the intelligent thought that makes its way out of Hoseok’s mouth.

‘What?’ Chim startles. 

‘Your hair’s wet. You should dry it before you get sick. It’s kinda cold out.’  _ And I should shut up and leave. _

‘I don’t get sick. How do you know Taehyung?’ The topic switch is abrupt and unwanted.

‘I don’t. I happened to stumble in a few minutes before you did.’

‘How do you know Yoongi?’ The pinkett narrows his eyes in suspicion, clearly not believing anything Hoseok is saying.

‘Who’s Yoongi? Does he live around here too? What kind of shop does he run? Ice cream?’

Chim’s suspicion melts into surprise. Does Yoongi really work at an ice cream shop? But then his surprise morphs into something akin to disgust and doubt. ‘Really? An _ ice cream shop.’  _ He spits.

‘Guess he does something more high class then.’ Hoseok snorts. ‘But who is this Yoongi? Was it the kid who came into the shop? No wait he told me his name and it wasn’t Yoon-anything. Gucci? Gooki?’

Chim looks like he wants to punch Hoseok, his fists clenched tightly at his sides, knuckles white. 

‘Ya know what, I’m just gonna go. See you later, I guess? I don’t know how long I’ll be in town...but...bye.’ Hoseok slowly backs up, not too sure if Chim will let him go willingly or not. The guy may look like sin in legs, but right now he looks like a very pissed off, very hot sin. He’s still baffled, though, about what he could have possibly done to piss the kid off. Kid. Was Chim younger than Hoseok? Going by height: yes. Childishness, pettiness, puffy cheeks: yes, yes, and-  _ I want to squish them _ . Eyes: no.

_ Eyes are the window to the soul _ . Some dead white dude had said it or wrote it down millions of years ago but it rings undeniably true. The eyes are the first thing Hoseok notices about a person. 

Chim’s eyes look tired, exhausted as if he’s just been dragged across all of Korea twice for nothing just to find out he has to do it again. He looks like he wants nothing more to take a break, to be able to sit down and not have to clean up anyone’s mess for them. And Hoseok understands. He understands the exhaustion and desperation all too well. 

Hoseok wants to say something. He really does. Maybe offer help in some form, or even a person to vent to, a shoulder to lean on, but all words of condolences and support fly out of his head when a loud  _ thud  _ is heard. Looking up, Hoseok sees Chim’s fist nearly half buried in the wall he punched, wood splinters fluttering to the ground. As hot as the guy is (Hoseok can’t bring himself to call Chim  _ kid _ anymore) smashing the nearest wall was not the first thing he would have thought Chim would do. He  _ looks  _ harmless, but the wall would say otherwise, and it does give Hoseok a reason to turn around and jog home.

But Hoseok’s never been one to run from his problems. He usually faces them head-on, or he likes to think he does. Because the harder Hoseok thinks, the bigger of a lie that statement comes. 

He ran away from home when it all became too much. He ran away from the looming threat of gay to his supposedly straight self. He ran away from his friends all because school was taking too much of a toll on him and he didn’t want Namjoon or Seokjin to see him in such a state, to judge him on his poor coping habits, or think any less of him when he breaks down spontaneously. Despite the concrete fact Hoseok knows they would never, the looming monster of doubt has never been stronger in the back of his brain. 

Running away is all he can do. Just like how he ran away from Chim a few minutes ago. It’s more of a minor thing than running away from school and stress, but Hoseok still ran away from confrontation rather than fix the problem and figure out what he wanted.

_ Good job Hoseok, you keep the Hoseok that can read, but you shoot the one that can reason with yourself. _

_ I need to stop watching 50% off. _

_ I should go swimming, and shoot the Hoseok that can read. _

_ Today, we have gathered the council of nine- _

Halfway home, Hoseok starts to notice the darker sky and ominous clouds. It’s pretty in a gloomy sense. He hopes it doesn’t rain, but what’s a little water gonna do to him? Get him wet? 

Taehyung seems like a person who would have fun arguing over whether water was wet or not, and Chim seems like the person who would either walk away from the conversation or shut it down with the harsh phrase  _ you’re not funny _ . 

Cresting over the hill Dawon’s house sits on, Hoseok sees that the house is still locked up and all the lights are off, so he sneaks in the backyard and runs into the guest room he’s temporarily occupying. He grabs his suitcase from under the bed and digs out an older pair of grey swim trunks with neon green dolphin silhouettes and throws them on, pulling a sweatshirt that’s seen too many washes over himself to avoid the evening chill. A mental checklist is running through his head: shoes - yes, towel - yes, dry clothes for later...? Nah, if it really got that cold, Hoseok could always make a run for it back to the house and drown in a hot bath. Plus, the run would be uphill. Phone? Most definitely not. Leaving a note for Dawon would be best if she got back before he did.

Racing back down to surf, Hoseok notices the sky is denser with clouds than earlier. Damn, it was probably going to rain, and rain meant lightning, and lightning meant less swimming for health reasons or some shit. Throwing all caution to the wind and all his cares in the sea, Hoseok throws his towel and hoodie and shoes in a mishap pile and jumps into the surf without a care. For the first time in months, he feels relaxed, at peace, free. The ocean greets him like an old friend, coming to greet him in salty waves, clinging to his form in tiny droplets with every movement. For what feels like hours, all he does is flop around in and out of the shallows of the sea, barely daring to go too deep as he once did as a child. But as welcoming as the ocean can be, vengeful it can be also. 

Hoseok’s too busy thinking about coming back to the cool cove he spotted with a pair of snorkelling goggles to see the wave and is too late to react when it’s undertow pulls him down.

 

* * *

 

Taehyung’s popularity has hit an all-time high today. Not only did he manage to charm a few female tourists to buy some of the coral pendants he made himself, but he met a strange human that smelt, ah, fishy, got yelled at by Jimin, and got a visit from his favourite human. 

Although calling Jeongguk a human was a bit generous. He looks like a bunny when he smiles and follows Taehyung around like a dog. Nevertheless, the boy smells like a human and something else Taehyung couldn't place. But he soon grew accustomed to it and found himself missing the strange smell when the human was absent. 

‘Hyung...hyung, who was the new guy earlier?’ Jeongguk asked, snapping Taehyung out of his thoughts.

‘Ah, you mean Hoseok? Why?’

‘Are you close with him?’

‘Nope, met him today. Although the floor got to meet him first.’

‘Why was he watching the shop? Did something happen?’

‘Eh, kinda, ran into an old friend. So I stepped out to say hi and catch up for a bit.’ It isn’t really a lie, but Taehyung hates it anyways. He wants to tell Jeongguk everything, to take him with him, to show him his part of the world. But at the same time, he doesn't. Life in the Bubble is not all giggly starfish and streaming rays of sunlight, as the humans seem to think. It’s dark and cold and corrupt and Taehyung hates it, hates it so much his reverse transformations have started to hurt. 

At first, it was just a dull ache in his neck where his gills reopened, then a slight pang where his legs morphed back into his tail. His scales started to itch when they grew back, then later they would burn until they were fully submerged in water. 

All he wanted was to see the human realm, see how they lived their lives and maybe try to integrate some of it into their little Bubble. But the council hated the idea. Either that or they just hated his scales that much. Taehyung was often looked down upon, whether because he had darker skin or because he spent time in the sun or because he was more adventurous than the average fish or because he was the second son, only ever a shadow behind his older brother. If Yoongi didn’t care for him as much as he did, Taehyung would have been exiled to the Dolphin Kingdom or land ages ago. 

But exile to land seems almost a mercy now. 

Taehyung’s snaps out of his thoughts when he hears thunder rumbling in the distance and the start of a rainstorm hit the roof of the souvenir shop. The shop,  _ Glass Shells,  _ is really more of a glorified tool shed. It’s tiny and everything from the display to the back storage is cramped as can be, but Taehyung wouldn’t give up this tool shed for anything. The first time he ventured out onto land, he nearly killed an older man by startling him with his sudden appearance and nudity. The same old man, Seokwang, had helped Taehyung understand the norms of the human world without asking too many questions. He even gave Taehyung a part-time job at  _ Glass Shell _ and occasionally cleaning out his garage. When Seokwang’s wife had gotten really ill, they moved more inland, closer to their son and a better medical facility. Taehyung had promised Seokwang that he would watch and care over his souvenir shop until (if) he returns. 

Since that day, Taehyung treats the shop as if it were his own child. When the threat of foreclosure nearly made Taehyung lose his shop, he took it upon himself to restore the small flow of tourists that kept him in business. It was the first time he returned to the water since fully running away, and his transformations were dull aches instead of sharp pains.

He hunts for bits of junk along the ocean floor. He once saw something akin to a trash statue that looks vaguely like a dolphin in another souvenir shop and was promptly shocked when someone bought it. So he makes his own trash otters and sea glass bracelets and necklaces and shell dolphins. Tourists love them, tourists buy them, along with the obnoxious magnets Taehyung had put out on a whim. He was sick of tripping over them in the cramped back room, the sooner they were gone, the better. 

Taehyung snaps out of his trail of thoughts when he hears a window shutter start to bang into the side of the shop. When the sun is shining and the weather is nice, the shop gets a good amount of natural light. The biggest downside to it is closing up the shop in preparation of an oncoming storm. The storms usually come by so fast that Taehyung can’t close up properly before the rain starts and merchandise starts to get wet. Thankfully he has an extra pair of hands this time. 

‘Jeongguk, do your favourite hyung a favour and close up all those windows next to you.’ He said, already moving to shut the window over the puffer fish-shaped soap dishes. ‘Could you also latch the pains on the outside? I don’t want any of them to break this time.’

Jeongguk nearly trips over himself trying to get out the door. ‘Yeah, of course.’

Within minutes the outdoor displays are in the shop and all the windows are properly closed and secured. As Taehyung stares out the window, Jimin’s words come back to him. He really should return, even if it's to settle old business with Yoongi and be ’’properly’’ banished from the Bubble so he doesn’t have to go back and so Jimin won’t have to suffer to come to fetch him anymore. Of course, he’d miss his brother and best friend, but it’s not they couldn’t visit him. 

‘-and then he told me to fuck off, like  _ I  _ was the one...hyung? Are you even listening to me?’

Taehyung’s thoughts abruptly halt. ‘What? No, sorry. I was just thinking about stuff.’

‘What kinda stuff?’

He sighs, ‘Old unresolved family business. I want to stay here, but they want me to go back home. I’m not sure what I should do.’

‘Mmm, what do you want to do hyung?’

‘I wanna stay. I kinda ran away in the first place because it was so...suffocating.’

‘Then stay. Plus, I’m here. If you go away, my life will get boring. So don’t go.’

‘Aish, Kookie. If only it was that easy.’

‘Why can’t it be? What’s holding you back?’

‘My conscious and my guilt.’

‘How so? Stop being so vague.’ Jeongguk runs his hand through his hair in frustration.

‘It’s kinda hard not to be vague, it’s a difficult situation to explain. But my hyung and I have all these responsibilities we need to deal with, and I ran away to avoid them. I couldn’t stand it anymore, I felt like I was suffocating in my own home. But because I ran away, he and my friend have to do them in my place, only making them more stressed. My friend came and visited earlier today to yell at me about the mess I left behind for them to fix and pick up.’

‘Then go do what you need to do and come back.’ Jeongguk says plainly as if the answer was obvious and a Taehyung was overthinking everything. 

It’s another one of those times Taehyung wishes he could tell Jeongguk everything, how’s he really an underwater prince, what a mess the Bubble Council is, the trade-offs of being banished. But he can’t. He can’t bring himself to tell Jeongguk anything of the sort. Underwater civilisation is a myth to humans. They think of them as cute bedtime stories and decent movie plots (which are always  _ so  _ inaccurate.  Taehyung nearly threw a rage fit when he saw  _ The Little Mermaid _ for the first time.).

‘I guess I could, but-‘

‘Common hyung. It sounds like you need some closure over this issue and a mini vacation to wherever you came from to sort everything out with your family. I’ll even watch the shop for you when you're gone!’

‘Why does that make me uneasy?’

‘Hyung!’ Jeongguk whines. He tackles Taehyung in their limited space and nearly knocks over a table filled with shell bracelets and puka necklaces. They end up sprawled on the floor, having called it a draw because Taehyung didn’t want to wreck the shop and Jeongguk is a sore loser. The rhythmic sound of the rain hitting the roof filled the silence after their breathing evened out.

‘I have to go back eventually. The sooner I go, the less painful it will be.’ Taehyung voices, rolling over to face Jeongguk. ‘I think you're growing up Gguk. Well, in brain. You still  _ look _ like a fetus.’ Jeongguk tried to retaliate by smacking Taehyung, but he misses when he rolls out of the way. 

‘Hyung, come back. You're warm. I promise I’ll hit you softer.’

‘Wow let me think about that one. No.’

After more minutes of childish bickering, Jeongguk gets his way and Taehyung brings out the futon and blankets they store in the back room for rainy day cuddle sessions. He much prefers the human koala named Jeon Jeongguk clinging to him under way too many blankets to dealing with underwater affairs, but Jeongguk did make a good point. He needs to talk to Yoongi about leaving permanently instead of just running away.

That is, if Yoongi will even look at him. 

Three full moons have passed since Taehyung has officially run away. Before that, he would just take day trips to the surface and sometimes stay the night in an old cove if he really wanted to piss anyone off. He can only imagine how angry Yoongi is at him. He sent Jimin in his place every time to tell him to go back. 

Maybe an angry Yoongi would exile Taehyung on the spot, banning him from ever going back. Then all his issues would be solved, minus his hyung hating him and Jimin never visiting. 

Taehyung turns to Jeongguk for more vague, cookie-cutter advice, but the younger man-child is knocked out, arms wrapped securely around Taehyung’s torso, a good sign he won’t be going anywhere until the kid wakes up. Jeongguk a heavy sleeper and a strong cuddler, but nowhere near as bad as Taehyung. At least Jeongguk doesn’t suffocate the things he latches onto in his sleep. 

Sleep comes now, important decisions later, the rain be his witness.   

* * *

 

Hoseok always thought his death would be something poetic. He would die of old age, surrounded by family and loved ones, in a soft bed.

He thought drowning would be painless. People holding their breath for so long they pass out, their lungs fill with water and they die. What he hadn’t expected was drowning to be so painful. 

As the wave crashes over his head unexpectedly, he’s gets dragged down into an undertow he couldn’t break out of. Instead of holding his breath for as long as he could, he was immediately choking on water, desperate for air. His lungs burn. His eyes sting, every nerve is on fire. Everything hurts.

The thing that probably disappoints Hoseok the most is how  _ boring his death is.  _ It’s a rather odd and morbid thought to have in the moment of death, but time seems to stop and yet his thoughts have never run faster. Sure, all Hoseok wants is to die of old age or in some epic explosion trying to save people. But drowning? No one would find him. No one would see him. No one would save him. His body would disintegrate at the bottom of the ocean until he became fish food or the find of some unfortunate diver.

When Hoseok thought he was completely out of air, something cold and slimy wraps around him and he screams (tries to anyway) and dispels any air left in his lungs. Now he’s really going to die: his vision is full of black splotches, everything is blurrier than is usually is underwater, something is touching him. It probably wants to eat him. 

Whatever grabbed him starts moving, and Hoseok can’t take it anymore. He succumbs to the darkness, regretting his boring death and his stupidity. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's now edited  
> eyyyyyyyyyyyy


	4. IV

The first thing Hoseok notices when he regains consciousness is how much his lungs hurt. Breathing feels likes he’s inhaling gravel. Trying to move or sit up or exist also hurts, thousands of blades are stabbing every inch of him. He somehow manages to roll on his side as he loses what’s left in his stomach from dinner. Coughing feels like he’s trying to give the Sahara back its sand. He would know where it all went because he inhaled it all. 

His vision is blurry, but it must also be from the pain. There’s a soft, fuzzy glow coming from Hoseok’s right that looks almost like a night light. 

Hoseok has no idea where he is or why he hurts all over. Oh wait, he drowned. Because he was stupid.  _ Why am I alive  _ gets added to the growing pile of questions.

Where is he? There’s barely any light, and if Hoseok didn’t know any better, he’d assume he was still underwater. Judging by the rock digging into his side and the sound of soft waves nearby, Hoseok assumes he’s in a cave or cove of some sort. He turns to the source of dim light and nearly screams. 

The light isn’t coming from the cove entrance or an opening or a gap in the rock or a conveniently placed flashlight. It’s more of a who or a what. The person? Sure, person. Is far from human. From their torso up is human-shaped _ ,  _ but everything south is a giant fishtail, its scales giving off the soft glow. As much as Hoseok wants to touch it to confirm its real, the consequences of dying painfully again outway the confirmation of his sanity. And moving hurts so, so much. The small movement it took to cough up whatever was left in his lungs was aggravating: overly sensitive skin scraping against jagged rocks, swollen joints moving against their will.

The creature’s face is its most human-like feature, minus the glowing scars and slit pupils. His (it looks like a he?) hair is fluffy and sticking up in strange spots, and their fingers are webbed tipped with sharp looking nails. Patches of grey and blue scales are splattered across the person’s shoulders, sides, and biceps. 

Of course, the creature is staring at him. It hasn’t moved once aside from the small flare of gills and the rising of its chest. It’s been staring at Hoseok long before he came to. 

And then it  _ spoke _ . ‘You live.’ The voice was raspy and definitely male. 

Hoseok snorts, which he instantly regrets. It hurt. ‘Sorry to disappoint.’ Everything hurts.

_ Oh, good job Hoseok. Upset the scary man with claws and a tail. You’re definitely gonna die now. _

_ Petty squabbles will solve nothing. _

It seems he was right. The creature rolls into his stomach and starts half crawling half dragging his way over to Hoseok, except twice as fast as should be possible. 

A scream lodges in his throat, Hoseok has never been as terrified as he’s ever been in the moment when fish boy sits up and leans over him. ‘Please don’t eat me I’m stringy and won’t taste good and I’ll give you indigestion and  _ pleasedonteatme _ .’

_ Petty squabbles will bring blood! _

Fish boy looks him in the eye,  _ sniffs him,  _ then glows brighter, making Hoseok realise his hair is not black, but dark blue. Now fish boy seems to be looking for something, something on Hoseok. Maybe for food, the best place to start eating from, treasures? 

‘You.’

Hoseok’s past the point of pure terror and just want to curl up on his bed after a hot bath and a bowl of onion soup. ‘Ah, yes, hi. Me.’

Then the fish boy is moving back. Moving down? He stops over Hoseok’s ankle, the one he scared years ago. When he touches it, pain explodes from Hoseok’s ankle and behind his eyes, but it quickly recedes, a soothing wave of contentment following it, easing any sharp aches or lasting pains. Hoseok slowly sits up, finding that movement causes barely any pain. Fish boy won’t let go of his ankle. 

‘What did you do to me?’ Maybe he is still scared, his voice won't stop shaking. Oh wait,  _ he  _ won't stop shaking. 

‘I help.’

‘Wonderful. So very descriptive, Shakespeare. Couldn’t have done it better.  _ How  _ did you help?’ He tries shaking Fish boy away from his foot, but he only seems to grasp on tighter whenever Hoseok shakes harder.

Fish boy seems to struggle with his words before spitting out, ‘Mo ti pariten adjehua, ati irora itta Sonu vaun.’

Hoseok just stares and stops trying to pull free. Is he supposed to understand that? ‘Uh, yeah, no comprendo, buddy. I’m not too sure if I was supposed to understand anything, but it sounded like you were trying to summon Satan or one of his pals. Which I’d rather have you not.’

Fish boy scowls then turns to stare at his tail. He scratches at a few scales before  _ breaking a few off _ and holding them out to Hoseok. ‘Eat.’

Once again Hoseok just finds himself blinking at the boy. ‘Is that hygienic? That’s like me asking you to eat my hair. I’m not too sure-‘

Fish boy rolls his eyes and tosses the scales into his mouth and advances back on Hoseok. 

‘Ok, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. Please don’t-‘ his pleas are cut short when the fish boy closes the distance and kisses Hoseok, nearly bruising his jaw with a tight grip. He’s taken so aback then his mouth goes slack, letting the fish boy shove his tongue in and force feeds him the scales. They’re slimy and delicate, two textures that make Hoseok grimace. Once fish boy is sure Hoseok has swallowed them, he pulls back to a comfortable distance and resorts to staring at him. 

‘Better now?’ Fish boy sounds different, his accent is gone and he sounds less condescending.

‘I don’t know whether I want to pass out or throw up.’

‘Are you always this sarcastic?’

‘Only when people  _ force-feed me parts of their bodies _ . Do you do that to every stranger you meet?’

Fish boy looks appalled. ‘Why would I do that? Clearly, you don’t know how  _ sacred _ -‘

‘Sacred? Slimy scales are  _ sacred? _ And why can I suddenly understand you? Like two seconds ago you were speaking in either single words or French-‘

‘How does Blubanese sound  _ anything  _ like French?’ Fish boy asks, outraged.

‘I don’t know! I can’t speak either!’

‘Shut up and get comfortable. I have a lot of shit to tell you and you’re not allowed to pass out until the end of it.’

Hoseok shifts into his back, arms tucked under his head. Hopefully, if he does pass out, it’ll be in a comfy position and fish boy won’t eat him in his sleep. At least he's stopped shaking. ‘I stopped aching. Is that your doing too?’

‘It’s the scales I gave you. If a Spine mates with a creature of another species, they can’t understand one another or even live in the same habitat. So we can give the other half our scales. You understand me even though I’m speaking Blubanese right now, and I can understand you perfectly. They also cure any injuries you have, as well as enable your physical form into a transitive state.’

‘Now in stupid for the slow people in the back?’

Fish boy glares at Hoseok. ‘You can adapt to my home easily. I would assume you’d sprout fins and gills somewhere, but I’m not sure. I don’t know anyone else who’s ever mated with a human.’

‘So, wait, I can  _ breathe underwater now? _ ’ Hoseok sits up and leans forward eagerly. 

‘Allegedly, yes.’

‘Oh man, this would have made passing my diving exam  _ way  _ easier. I...’ Hoseok trails off, staring at his ankle. ‘You said they cure all injuries. Why’s this still here?’ The jagged scar that still marrs his skin seems darker. 

Fish boy narrows his eyes.  _ ‘ _ That’s my mating bite. Have you listened to  _ anything  _ I've said?’

‘Yeah, the no pain and underwater breathing seems cool. What kind of mating are we talking about here? Like, forever for life, or like, Nah?’ Give him a break, it’s the best he can do with his overloaded brain. Hoseok was less fried after the three-hour lecture on seaweed. 

‘You’re impossible.’ Is the only answer he gets back. 

‘How are you glowing?’

‘I don’t think you would comprehend or understand any words I throw at you longer than five letters right now, so I’ll save that for another time. But yes, all seafolk glow.’

‘So like...Bioluminescence? What’s the big deal about the scales? I know that can do a ton of stuff for you, but you seemed to make a big deal out of them.’

Some of the sparks in fish boy’s eyes die, making him look sad. ‘We used to be hunted for our scales because of their healing powers. But a seafolk has to give you their scales willingly for their properties to work. Humans tried to take them forcefully, but they would have the opposite effect and kill the human that consumed them. So they then started trapping us, saying they’d let us go if we’d give them our scales. It was a dark time, and most intelligent sea life has gone into hiding ever since.’

Hoseok is shocked into silence. Nothing he could possibly say would change the past or the cruelty of humans. But one last question did pop up in his frazzled brain. 

‘What’s your name?’

‘It’s not  _ fish boy,  _ that’s for sure.’

‘’Ah, I assume you can read minds now too?’

‘Just yours, Hoseok.’

As fish kid says his name, Hoseok snaps his head to look at him and shivers crawl down his spine. ‘What the actual fuck. If your name isn’t fish boy then it must be fish kid.’

‘Both are equally far from Yoongi, but I guess it’s the best you could ever do. And don’t call a merfolk a  _ fish _ . It’s highly offensive, and if you were anyone else your limbs would be scattered around the cove by now. We are fairly superior in all senses, especially intelligence.’

Hoseok decides to let the insults slide, making a mental reminder to fight this Yoongi later.  _ Yoongi.  _ The name’s familiar, but he can’t place where he heard it before. Someone was taking and it must have been mentioned in the conversation. Jin? Namjoon? They’ve never mentioned anyone named Yoongi. Taehyung, the kind yet strange shop owner? The harder Hoseok thinks, the more pressure builds behind his eyes, yet a crowning headache never comes, which is quite nice. It must be the scales. 

_ Chim.  _ The name pops up in his head. It was the kid who stormed into Taehyung’s shop, and one who he ran into on his way back. The one who accused him of doing something scandalous with Yoongi, at least that’s how Hoseok remembers it. 

But if Yoongi is a merperson, does that mean Chim is too? What about Taehyung? Or the whipped fetus kid, Gookie?

After a stretch of silence, Hoseok gathers the courage to ask, ‘Do you know a person named Chim?’

Yoongi makes a noise at the back of his throat that sounds something akin to a contempt cat. ‘Never heard of Chim. What’s that?’

Before Hoseok can answer, he feels something grab at his forearm. Yoongi had dragged himself closer without Hoseok noticing and he then drags Hoseok down with him. Hoseok yelps, and then finds himself in an awkward spooning position with the merboy. His feet are submerged in the water, while his torso is squished into Yoongi’s from. It’s a weird feeling, it’s scaly and slimy and warm but not unwelcome. Hoseok is overcome with strange feelings of safety and belonging as if he knew Yoongi, as scary of a creature he was, would never actually harm him.

‘H-human, possibly, uh, person form, wait, can you guys change forms, like go from water person to human?’

‘ _ Water person.’  _ Yoongi scoffs, vibrations from his chest tickling Hoseok’s back. ‘Call us merfolk, or-’ Yoongi makes a weird throaty noise like he’s trying to cough something up. Hoseok tried to sit up to see if he’s still alright or choking, but Yoongi’s arms tighten around Hoseok’s waist, making it impossible for Hoseok to move. ‘But yes, we can change forms. Usually, we can only stay human for certain lengths of time, but there have been proven to be some exceptions.’ He spits somewhat bitterly. 

Hoseok tries to mimic the noise Yoongi made to lighten up the sudden heavy mood but ends up choking on his spit. After a short coughing fit, Hoseok speaks up, ‘What the fuck was that! I thought we could understand each other now. It sounds like your choking, no wait that’s just me...it doesn’t sound good!’ 

Hoseok feels something shaking, and finds he’s able to turn around to face Yoongi. He’s  _ laughing.  _ He sounds like a sea lion and it’s kinda cute. Soon, Hoseok’s smile turns into small giggles, which turn into belly aching laughter. 

After the two of them wind down, Hoseok’s mind whirls with a million of questions he wants to ask. But Yoongi seems to be reading his thoughts as they form. ‘Stop thinking so fast. It’s giving  _ me _ a headache. The exception I was talking about was my younger brother. He left for the surface a few moons ago and still hasn’t come back. I’m not too sure how he does it, but it can’t be fun to be, ah, a fish out of water, in your words, for so long. I’m just worried about him, and we didn't’ exactly part on high terms. And this  _ Chim _ , you don’t seem to like him very much, but no, I’ve never seen the kid. You have a very vivid imagination’.

‘How much of my mind can you read? All of it? Just the stuff I’m thinking about? Can you, like, dig through it?’

Yoongi’s eyes narrow. ‘You actually know nothing about anything remotely aquatic do you?’

‘Excuse you!’ Hoseok scoffs, offended. ‘I’m on my way to becoming a renowned marine biologist. We just don't study water people.’

‘Well mated  _ water people _ have something similar to a mind link so they can communicate through great distance easier. It takes practice to use properly, but since all merpeople have it, we can use it to sometimes communicate with other sea life.’

‘Wow! You can talk to seaweed? So cool.’

‘I am two seconds away from throwing you in the water. But to answer the earlier question, I can hear your projected thoughts.’

‘That’s eerie.’

‘I thought humans had something similar?’

‘ _ Cellphones _ ? Not even close.’

‘What is this shellphone you speak of?’

‘It’s more of a show instead of tell kind of thing.’

‘Is that your way of inviting me up to the surface with you?’ The sudden smirk on Yoongi’s face made Hoseok choke. 

The two of them stay in their tangled cuddling position silently before a sudden thought his Hoseok. ‘You wouldn't happen to know what time it is, would you?’

Yoongi hums, ‘Even if I did, we have a very different way of telling time than you landfolk do.’

‘Shit, my sister’s probably freaking out.’ Hoseok made to detangle himself from Yoongi, but he only whines and clings tighter to the human. ‘Yoongi, please, I need to go, and I’m hungry, but that’s beside the point! I’ll meet up with you again soon here-’

‘No.’

‘What? Why not?’

‘Not here. It’s too dangerous for you to come here without me. I’ll meet you on the shore three suns from now when the moon rises. Come, I’ll guide you back.’

The cove the two of them hid away in is farther offshore than Hoseok would have thought. It’s mostly hidden by the rock precipice that juts out, dividing the shoreline. When the water level gets too shallow and rocky to swim, Yoongi pulls Hoseok down in a burning kiss of farewell, then is gone beneath the waves, vanishing completely. 

 

* * *

 

Jin's having a crisis. It’s not the fact that Hoseok hasn’t answered his phone despite it being the twenty-first time he’s called. It’s not even the fact that it’s 8 am and he has no idea what part of town he’s lost in. 

Oh no, he left not only his bus pass at Namjoon’s but also his apartment key. He’s a complete idiot. 

He can’t go back. Not after what he woke up to. As much as Jin wanted his wet dream of waking up to a snuggly, naked Namjoon to come true, now that it actually comes to pass he is freaking out. 

When he woke up, he panicked, shoved his feet back into his jeans as fast as he could without murdering himself or anything else in Namjoons flat, grabbed his keys and ran. 

At least, he  _ thought  _ they were his keys. 

Nope, in his moment of tired, hungover panic, he ended up grabbing Namjoon’s long lost mail key instead of his apartment keys. Is it too late to lose face and go back to Namjoon’s under the pretence he just wanted a morning walk? 

Probably. 

Seokjin dials Hoseok one last time, and one last time, he reaches his voice mail. Just what is that child doing? Partying too hard?

_ Like you?  _

Shut up brain. 

He only realises he says his thoughts out loud when he sees the strange look a jogger shoots him as he passes by. 

Hoseok not answering his phone is a strange occurrence in itself. The kid always has it on him and is usually always on it. It only makes Seokjin worry even more if Hoseok died or not. He always knew he would end up visiting Hoseok, but Jin never thought it would be so soon into his friend’s  _ hiatus _ , as he likes to call it.

After finding a park bench to sit on and after contemplating his life and trying not to cry for a solid hour, Jin makes up his mind. He’s gonna go back to Namjoon’s, pray he doesn't remember anything, grab his shit, and run away to Hoseok with the excuse the child isn’t picking up his phone.

Ah yes, totally foolproof plan. What could go wrong?

_ Joon could remember everything from last night like our drunk sex and my awful drunk confession and suddenly decides he hates me, and that he doesn't want to be friends anymore and that he never wants to see my face ever again then he tells me he likes someone else, oh my god, he’s probably straight. No wait, he’s banged guys before. He just said it was awful. What was the dude's name? Minseo? Minseok? Min... ah, what the fuck. Who cares?  _

_ You do. You care.  _

_ No, I don't.  _

_ Yes, you do.  _

_ No, I don't! _

_ Move! Hurry up and go back to his place. If you had moved your sorry ass earlier instead of being an uncertain hoe you could have gone there and back three times by now! The sooner you move, the sooner you can find Hoseok and rant. _

_ Good pep talk, Jin.  _

_ Thanks, Jin. _

Seokjin snorts at how pathetic his life had become. But his inner-self did have a point. 

The sooner he moves, the more likely he would catch Namjoon still asleep and he wouldn’t have to deal with anything.

_ I can do this _

_ I can do this _

_ I can do _

_ I think I can I think I can _

_ I can’t do this _

The moment Namjoon’s door is in sight, Seokjin panics. He completely freezes despite being halfway up the stairs. But fate must not be on his side today (or ever) as who steps outside but the man of the hour himself. 

‘Hyung.’ Namjoon seems more startled than anything else. 

Jin is fucked. Jin is caught. Jin is gonna die. Jin- ‘Are you coming in for breakfast?’ Is completely shocked by the mundane statement. 

‘As long as you’re not cooking.’ He fires back, trying to keep his head from spinning. 

The silence goes from awkward to borderline unbearable as breakfast is made. Seokjin’s mind is reeling two light years a second trying to think of a plausible excuse for why he was out with Namjoon’s mail key. For nearly  _ two hours _ .

‘So how badly are you hungover?’ Jin asks in an attempt to break the layer of silence. 

‘When I woke up it was at a solid negative two spoons. I’d say I’m up to maybe one right now.’ Namjoon rubs his temples. Great. If his friend (can he even call him that anymore) was feeling so shitty when he woke up, maybe he didn’t notice Jin’s missing pants or the t-shirt he stole (or his mail key).

‘Wow. When’d you wake up?’

‘Like an hour ago? Ish?’

_ Shit _

‘When I woke up you and your pants were gone. Did something come up?’

_ Fuckfuckfuckfuck be smart about this say something intelligent or I swear to all that is pink in this world- _

‘Yeah, my lab partner, Sungwoo, called about that project that’s due next week. Something about not being in class Monday? Or not being able to work on it? He was low key dumping work on me while feeling guilty and wanted to meet up now to sort some things out. I stepped outside to call him and told him no normal functional human being can operate properly at 9 am on a Saturday. We basically just set up new meeting times. Oh, and I grabbed a key thinking it was the key to your door, but it didn’t lock it. I think I grabbed your mail key by accident.’

_ Smooth as fuck. _

‘Hey, you found my mail key! I’ve been looking for that sucker for like a month now.’ Jin tosses the key in Namjoon’s direction, not really caring where it lands, and heads towards the counter to start brewing coffee. 

_ What does he remember? It seems like he remembers nothing, other than getting smashed. Why am I still here? Common Jin, think of another decent excuse to leave, preferable after coffee is brewed.  _

_ Nope, I got nothing.  _

_ Wow, Jin, you sure are useless.  _

Seokjin’s too busy spacing out over how useless he is to realize his hand is in the spot of where the coffee pot should be and is rudely awakened when the scalding liquid starts to pool on the back of his hand. He yells and quickly replaces the pot with his hand.

‘Jin? You good?’ Namjoon askes, face full of concern.

‘Yeah, just... tired. My phone woke me up at an ungodly hour. I think I’m just gonna go back to my place and sleep.’

‘After coffee?’

‘Yeah. After coffee.’

The silence is almost stifling as the two of them stand and stare at the coffee brewer work its magic. Seokjin eventually excuses himself so he can make sure he grabs all his stuff,  _ like his keys and bus pass,  _ so he can leave as soon as he’s done chugging hot coffee. When he returns to the kitchen, Namjoon stands in the doorway, looking off.

‘Jin, did-’ he hesitates. ‘Did anything happen last night? You seem off.’

_ Off? I seem off? Gee, wonder why. If you had sex with your seemingly straight ‘friend’ of five years and not have him remember anything would you feel a little  _ **_off_ ** _? _

‘Just... stressed.’

‘Would of this have anything to do with me waking up naked?’

‘You drank so much last night you threw up all over yourself. I threw you in your bathtub and was too lazy to redress you.’

‘Ugh, did I really? I’m so sorry, man.’

‘The worst part was seeing your unnaturally pale flat ass. My eyes will never be the same.’ The lies came surprisingly easy. Jin’s even shocked at himself; at how well he just suppresses five years of feelings, especially after opening them the night before.

‘Excuse you, my pale ass is exquisite.’  _ Damn right, it is. _

‘And it’s something I never want to see again.’ Jin turns away so Namjoon couldn’t see his facial expression, and grabs two mugs with his good hand.

‘Jin hyung, is your hand good?’ Namjoon steps closer only to grab Jin’s wrist to survey the damage done by the coffee pot. 

_ Dear god end me now.  _ Jin flinches back and regrets it as a sharp sting runs through the tender burn. ‘It’s fine, Really. I’ll put aloe on it when I get home. Speaking of which, I have to go soon.’ He sets down the mugs and pours the fragrant coffee in one of them, knocks it back as if it were a shot, regrets it, and places the mug in the sink. ‘I’ll be on my way now, bye!’ 

It’s a miracle Seokjin doesn't knock anything over on his way out the door. Namjoon opens his mouth to say something when he sees Jin knock back the burning liquid, but stops as he can only stare at his hyung running out his door. 

If Seokjin was a mess the first time he ran out of Namjoon’s apartment that morning, he’s a total wreck now. He can barely keep everything together just having a mundane conversation with the man. 

He was done for, totally screwed, completely fucked-  _ Ah yes, he fucked you so good- _

Nope nope nope nopenopenope  _ not _ going there. Bad Jin,  _ bad _ . None of that now.

Seokjin has always been a little bitch when it came to expressing feelings, especially when it came to relationships. While some people could easily open up about their feelings of love or depression or even joy, Seokjin always kept them bottled in until he couldn't take it anymore and have everything explode all at once. Kinda like that one kid in Mob Psycho, except when he exploded, cool stuff happened. When Jin exploded, tears and snot ran freely. 

It was not only bad for him, but also the people around him, especially when he explodes. Last night’s party is probably the most extreme case he’s ever dealt with, and the most painful, but just like the others, it will be forgotten and eventually fade with time.

The one and only girl he ever dated broke up with him because she was convinced he didn’t love her, just because he was never affectionate towards her. The last guy he dated ( _ dated _ is a stretch) used him for sex and free food. And  _ Namjoon  _ was the one who helped Jin realise what a toxic relationship he was trapped in and that the guy was straight up using him. 

But it wasn’t easy. Seokjin was in heavy denial that his relationship with his boyfriend had regressed to the point they were at, and the douchebag refused to give up his free meal ticket, which was all he really ever saw Seokjin as. When Namjoon finally managed to convince Jin he should leave him, Namjoon was unknowingly hit with all of Seokjin's pent-up affection. In Seokjin's defence, it had nowhere else to go, and after his best friend had saved him, he became his new target. Little did he know he would remain his target of affection for the next five years. Five years of painful one-sided pining.

Jin wants to go back and shoot his high school self in the head, or the foot. No, the head, then he wouldn't have to be in the situation he is in now dealing with long-term consequences of misguided affection. 

Despite having his bus pass, Seokjin walks the whole way home, miserable. The last thing he needs right now is some stranger coming up to him on public transportation and asking if he was ok. Because if anyone did, some part of them would end up halfway out a bus window. 

As Jin reaches his apartment, he shuts his door and slides down it, burying his face in his things. Another worry to add to his growing pile is Hoseok  _ still _ hadn’t called him back and it was nearly noon.

_ One more time. _

But the phone only rang and rang and rang and went to voicemail.

_ This is the phone of Jung- _

‘That’s IT. I’m following your sorry ass down to Busan.’ Jin mumbles to himself. 

_ And you have an excuse to run away without it looking like you're running away.  _

_ I’m not running away! _

_ Oh? _

_ No. I’m... _

_ Taking a break counts as running away. _

_ Fuck, I’m running away. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of your comments and kudos give me life ^.^ I appreciate every one of them  
> I attempted to do Nanowrimo and . . .  
> failed  
> next year!


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin rethinks his life and Taehyung returns to the sea.

Seokjin doesn't register what he’s doing until he gets so lost he has to pull over into a small turnout to double check where he’s going. After he blindly ran out of his apartment with an overnight bag and snacks, he quickly jumped into his truck and sped southwards, not really checking where he was going.

His phone tells him he’s nearing Changwon, a town a whole two hours west of where he wants to end up.

Seokjin groans. What is he even doing? At least Hoseok had asked for an academic leave. Jin was planning on just not showing up for classes until he felt ready to face his problems along with the rest of the world. _Definitely_ not his proudest moment.

He pulls up his email and sends a quick _I’ll be out of town due to a family emergency_ email to all his professors, debates weather crying over his current disposition in life is worth the effort, and plugs in the address Hoseok sent him to his phone. Driving all the way is an awful idea. It’s awful because it gives Seokjin time to think.

Time to think about what he did, what he could have done. What if he had never gone to Daniel’s party? Would he have spent the night alone with a bag of honey butter chips and his ethics essay? Would he have called Namjoon over out of loneliness? Would they have hung out like every other weekend?

The only thing keeping Jin sane (or insane?) is the fact that Namjoon doesn't seem to remember anything from that night. He was always a lightweight, alcohol quickly turning him into an affectionate drunk. The party was just so _loud_ and there were so many _people_ and there was all this alcohol and

_Maybe it was the weed._

Namjoon would never do drugs or any form of slightly illegal substance on his own. Inebriated, however, he was susceptible, and Jackson was always a fun guy to be around. Jackson, Youngjae, Bambam...they never meant any harm ever, and they always had when even they all hung out, so why would anything from them ever be bad?

What if Namjoon hadn’t been so fucked up? Would they still have banged? Who initiated it? Why did they go back to Joon’s place? Why-

Jin slams his head on his steering wheel, aiming too low and smacking his forehead against the airbag compartment, blaring the horn. He jumps, scaring himself, causing him to swerve into the other lane of traffic. After a moment of panic, Jin manages somehow to just barely avoid an oncoming car and get back into the right lane of traffic.

Is he gonna make it all the way to Hoseok before he kills himself out of his own self-loathing? Jin glances at his phone: he has a little over an hour before he reaches the town Hoseok lives in. Maybe he should try calling again, instead of just showing up. Seokjin navigates to his contacts and finds Hoseok’s number, all while trying to keep his eyes on the road. Punching the call button, his distress only grows when it goes to voicemail again. Guess supprising Hoseok it is.

 

* * *

 

He’s trying to be quiet, trying to hurry out the door, trying _not_ to alert his grandmother that he was going out, but luck seems to not be in his favour as the floorboards loudly creek under his feet.

‘And where are you going so early in the morning, young man?’ His grandmother calls from the kitchen.

‘I promised a friend I’d meet up with him and help him watch his shop.’ He calls back, hoping his grandmother will just let him go and not give him the usual lecture on-

‘Your friend isn't one of _them,_ is he?’

Here she goes again.

‘Grandmother, I’m just-’

‘Jeon Jeongguk do I need to tell you again? What happened to me because I befriended one of their kind? What happened to them?’

He sighed, ‘Yes yes, they took your sight and took her life. But Tae’s completely human and will be mad I’m late. I gotta _go._ ’ Taking the chance, he grabs his shoes and runs out the door yelling a quick _love you Gmama_ , stopping halfway down the driveway to smash his feet into his Timberlands.

Today was the day Tae was leaving to go do... whatever he needed to do to sort out his family issues. As sad as Jeongguk is that Tae was distraught over something, he is also glad that Tae’s able to confide in him, to trust him with his issues and feel comfortable enough to ask for advice.

Jeongguk loves his grandmother, he really does. It’s just...she’s... _loony._ He feels awful thinking it, he feels awful admitting it, but something’s not quite right with her. She’s overly suspicious of anyone she doesn't know and refuses to socialize with any of her neighbours. _You never know_ is her excuse. _You never know what secrets someone could be hiding._ The main reason why she was living in the middle of nowhere outskirts of Busan was that no one in his family wanted to take care of her. No one wanted to deal with her. And when Jeongguk told his mother he didn't want to go to college, that he didn't want to be a lawyer like his mother, that he didn't want to be a teacher like his father, she saw it as the perfect opportunity to kick him out. His father thought it was a bit extreme and tried to fight it, but... _happy wife, happy life_ was his father's motto, even if that meant choosing his spouse over his child.

The first person Jeongguk thought of when he got kicked out was his grandmother. As standoffish as she was to strangers, she was very welcoming to Jeongguk. It was a bit awkward at first, especially when Jeongguk spent the whole day lazing around, but he quickly found a part-time job helping out as a janitor for the local facilities around town.

Jeongguk slows into a walk as he nears Tae’s souvenir shop. Taehyung told him to be there in the morning when he normally opened so he could give him the keys to the place and tell him how to lock up properly. He hopes Tae hasn’t left yet, despite him being late.

‘...threw corral at me. I wonder what he’s gonna throw at me this time? A shark tooth vase? That dolphin bone spear he keeps by his bed?’ The conversation came from inside the shop. Jeongguk stuck his head in to see Tae running around the shop while another pink haired boy sat on the checkout counter, looking mildly amused.

The pink haired kid snorts. ‘Maybe that sea urchin display thing in the middle of the conference room. Yoongi hates it. He complains to me at least four times a sun cycle.’

‘Ugh, I forgot about that thing. Think I had nightmares about the thing the first time I saw it. Maybe that’ll be my last act, chucking the thing into the abyss.’

Jeongguk doesn’t know what to do. He feels like he shouldn't be eavesdropping on their conversation like he just walked in on something personal, something he wasn’t meant to witness. ‘Hyung!’ Jeongguk waves as he walks into the shop.

‘Gukkie! I’m almost done. This is Jiminie, a...a family friend.’ Any hint of amusement leaves Jimin’s face as he stares at Jeongguk.

So he decides to play it safe. ‘Hi, Jimin hyung. I’m Jeongguk.’

‘Hey.’ Jimin smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. He looks like he wants to leave, as if he hates the souvenir shop, or as if he’s really late for something. He jumps off the counter, surprising Jeongguk with how short he really is (ok, he's not _that_ short,  but-) and walks over to the doorway. ‘Any day now, TaeTae. We gotta _go._ ’

‘Yeah, yeah, I know. I know.’ He rushes over to Jeongguk, his hands full. ‘These are the keys, and here’s the list of things that need to be checked, where the inventory sheets are, and how to latch the windows properly. They stick all the time and aren't really closed when you think they are. I’m gonna be out of cell range for a while, so if you have any questions do what I would do, don't do what I wouldn't do. Thanks again for doing this for me. I’ll be back.’ Tas shoves the things in Jeongguk’s hands, squeezes the life out of him, then is being dragged out the door by his pink haired friend.

Jeongguk blinks. There’s no way Tae could be anything other than a human. Strange, mythical fish creatures, at least according to his grandmother, don’t have feelings, families, or friends. Or wait...

They pretend they do. _Blending in_ was their speciality. His grandmother always said the tales retold by sailors were either exasperated or the extreme cases. And then - and then there were different types? Something about sirens and nissies and nymphs. They all looked the same but were different...Somehow.

It was barely 9 am and Jeongguk’s head was already spinning. But Tae was a human, and his grandmother was older and crazy and bitter. Tae was warm and kind, and trustful. If Taehyung thought Jeongguk could run his shop without burning anything down, then he would do exactly that. Thankfully his other job was at night and didn’t really interfere with the souvenir shops hours.

A few hours later, no one has come into the shop except for a happy two-year-old that just wanted to run and his exasperated mother, but they walk out just as fast as they came. How could Tae love his job so much if it was so _boring_ ? At least cleaning locker rooms gave him something to _do_. All Jeongguk has to entertain himself is his phone which is tragically low on battery and the sparse amount of tourists that wander into the shopping pier of the small town at 11 am on a weekday. Since Jeongguk has no interest in people watching, he heads towards the back room.

What he expects from the back room of the Glass Shell is a cluttered mess of organized chaos. What he finds is organized chaos, but in the form of a makeshift dorm. The overstock merchandise shelves are shoved against the walls, packed with boxes that are overflowing with different types of shells and coral and sea glass. There's a fold-out table littered with bits and pieces of something that looks like a shell, hot glue sticks, and a mini grinder. There is a chipped bowl that's filled with earring bits and necklace clasps and keychain rings.

But the real surprise is the futon that is covered in a mess of blankets. Jeongguk knew there was one back here somewhere, Taehyung brought it out whenever he closed the shop early and the two of them had movie nights with Jeongguk’s laptop. He never expected it to be used regularly. He also never expected the mini fridge or the small portable burner on top of the fridge.

Why hadn't Tae mentioned he was living in the back of his shop? There is more than enough room at his grandmother's for another semi-permanent guest. Questions fill his mind. Should he ask Tae to move in with him? Why hadn’t he noticed his best friend was living in the back of his shop.

But then it came to him, Taehyung was always oddly private about his back room, and suddenly Jeongguk felt like he was encroaching in on Taehyung’s private life. He’s torn: ask Tae about his living situation, or leave it as it is.

Time for his old nearly dead phone to be useful. Head: ask. Tails: leave it. He flips his phone, and it lands with a concerningly loud _smack_.

Looks like he’s gonna ask Tae if he wants the spare bedroom at his grandmother's place when he gets back.

 

* * *

 

 

Taehyung thought Jimin had left. After hearing how much his friend despises his human form, he assumes that Jimin would meet him halfway, or wait for him at the cove. The last thing he expected from Jimin, was to show up at the shop at 6 am, demanding that Taehyung go back with him.

‘I’m not leaving this place until you agree to come with me.’

‘Chim...what-?’

‘Nope. I’m not gonna listen to anything. You're either coming back with me or I’m gonna die. Right. Here.’

‘But I’ve already-’

‘Did you know.’ Jimin cut him off again. ‘That Yoongi ended up leaving the Bubble. _For you._ I heard he nearly gave Kihyun a panic attack when he just disappeared. But he came back before the council noticed. You know how many issues would arise if anyone on the council realizes _both_ of you are missing.’

‘Yeah yeah. Where did you hear all this from?’

‘Minhyuk.’ While Minhyuk was one of the brighter Spines that worked for Yoongi, the head servant could be quite frivolous at times.

‘Well, before you say anything more, I’ve already planned my return trip. I was gonna go later today, but I guess I could call Jeonggukie to come down and get the keys sooner.’

Jimin just stared at him. ‘You mean to tell me I came all this way for nothing?’

‘Well...not nothing. You get to see my lovely face.’

‘Say another word and I _will_ punch you.’

Taehyung just nods smugly, points out the door, and rings up Jeongguk. It takes him four tires, but the call finally goes through, a bleary _what?_ being his reward.

After the very intelligent phone call with his favourite human -

( _What?_

_You can show up now, right?_

_Uhuuuuuunuuu-_

_Cool._

_Nggggggh._

_Guk._

_Donwanna._

_But-_

_Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnneg._

_Uh-_

_Eight._

_Yes?_

_Me. Eight. There._ )

Taehyung now had to find a way to get Jimin patient enough to wait for Jeongguk to show up and not destroy his shop in the process. It starts out with Taehyung running around the shop with Jimin quietly staring at him, tension thick in the air, but it quickly dies when Tae asks Jimin for help with grabbing items, and Jimin shooting him confused looks. Taehyung then spends the next two hours explaining what basic human things are to Jimin, such as a toothbrush, chopsticks, a lighter, and socks.

‘Human feet suck enough as it is. Why do humans feel the need to cover them too?’ Jimin complains loudly.

‘I think the sharp stuff like shells and rocks hurt their feet, so they wear shoes. But when they wear shoes, they can get blisters or sweaty feet, so they wear socks to...to not.’

‘Or they could just not walk. Or just stop being human.’

Taehyung scoffs. ‘Let me work on that.’

‘Why are toes called toes, and not feelers, or foot fingers, or fingers called hand toes? The human body is so confusing. _Humans_ are so confusing.’

‘Jimin, stop. That is the most disturbing thing I’ve heard from you.’

‘Worse than asking about human procreation?’

‘ _Yes_.’

‘What are we waiting for again? Why haven’t we left yet?’ Jimin starts to fidget.

‘I’m waiting for Jeongguk to show up to watch the shop since I don’t know how many suns I’ll be gone. This shop needs all the business it can get.’

‘Then why isn’t your human here yet then?’

‘Because it’s early in the morning and most humans aren’t awake during this time.’

‘Well make him awake so we can leave.’

Taehyung sighs. ‘Jimin, don't worry. I know you’re agitated, but everything will be fine.’

Jimin seems to deflate. ‘I know, it’s just, with everything happening I guess I’ve been on edge lately.’

‘ _You guess_? Well here’s a thought. Last time I went back, after my first long disappearance,  Kihyun threw corral at me. I wonder what he’s gonna throw at me this time. A shark tooth vase? That dolphin bone spear he keeps by his bed?’

Jimin finally seems amused and returns with playful banter. It probably would have continued, but Jeongguk walks in not too long after it starts, putting their playful conversing to a halt. They are finally able to depart after Tae hands the keys over to Jeongguk along with a rundown of how the shop works and what windows don't really latch. Jimin ends up dragging Taehyung out of the shop and down the shoreline, his tight grip on his arm never easing up. He does finally let go when they reach the hidden alcove behind the rocks. Jimin shows Taehyung his hiding spot for his clothes and is gone before Tae fully has his pants off.

This is the part he hates the most. Not leaving, not the lonely ache he gets in his chest some nights in the back room if the shop, not the fear of returning or the judgemental stares he’ll get from other spines, not the scolding his brother will give him, but the transformation. Jimin once told him becoming a human was painful for him because of his despise for the human realm. Tae doesn’t despise the sea, not at all. But he hates the Bubble and the mess its leadership is in. He hates the council with every fibre of his being, he hates all the constant eyes and expectations he’s given.

Apparently, that hatred had made transforming back more painful over time, which was why he went back less and less frequently. He had to speak to Yoongi about it, hopefully, he would understand.

Waist deep in water, Taehyung can feel the change starting. The skin on his legs itches as they start to regrow their scales, his bones crack as they meld together. His hands feel sticky, slimy and achy as their webbing regrows. His neck aches where his gills are trying to open up. A sharp pain fills his chest, one greater than his last transformation, and he falls completely beneath the waves. A dull pounding fills Taehyung’s head, the skin on his face cracks away where splotches of scales appear on his cheekbones and forehead. His eyesight sharpens, his ears pop, and suddenly he can breathe. One last sharp pain runs along his arms, down his spine and around his tail, his glow now softly surrounding him.

After taking a minute to just drift along the ocean floor to recover, Tae heads in the direction of home, hoping he’ll run into Jimin again on the way there.

He doesn’t have to go far to have his wish granted. Jimin takes one look at his friend and is instantly concerned. ‘Tae, why is your glow so weak? Is it because you’ve been gone for so long?’

‘Transforming back...I think it took more out of me than I thought it would. I’m sorry I made you go through it every time you had to go after me.’

‘Being a human is awful. Everything hurts, and clothes are weird and everything is so constraining...’ Jimin shudders. ‘I feel so much more free in the ocean, and it’s like all that’s ripped away from me when I’m a human. But enough of that. You can't show up to the Bubble after moons of being gone looking like _that._ We have an angry council to appease.’

‘Well what do you want me to do about it? It’s not like I can magically look like I’ve been in the ocean the whole time.’

‘No, but I can make something to ease your pain. It helped me a ton when I had to endure human transformations. And if your case is anything like mine, transforming back into a human will feel a lot better, almost like a relief.’ It takes a moment, but Tae finally realizes why what Jimin said sounds weird. He’s speaking Blub, another piece of himself he slowly started to leave behind.

Taehyung feels another stab of guilt. But why should he feel guilty, when the _council_ was clearly the one using Jimin? This is why he’s going back. This is why he’s suffering. _This is why he left-_

Jimin smacks him with his tail. ‘I can _feel_ you thinking all the way over here. Stop it, you’re disrupting the currents.’

‘So what are you gonna do about my dull scales?’

‘Well first off, I’m gonna make you something as soon as I can find red seaweed and pufferfish spines. I think Minhyuk’s shop is close-ish to here? We can stop in there, then take a back way in into the Bubble, Hoseok...the other Hoseok, not your strange smelling human one, owes me a few favours. I’m sure after a good suns rest you’ll look like you never left.’

Taehyung’s eyes light up, his glow brightening a bit. ‘Minhyuk! I haven't spoken to him since the first time I swam away. Let’s go! I get to kill off my pain _and_ see an old friend. Two fish with one spear!’

Minhyuk was a first cousin to Hyungwon, who ran the Dolphin Realm. The Dolphin Realm was everything the Bubble was not, literally. While the Bubble was deemed a safe space for Spines to live in comfortably, not everyone liked or accepted the ways of the Bubble. So, years and years ago when the Bubble was being formed, a group of Spines and Snakes broke off from the rest and continued to live in the open ocean, as their ancestors had been before them. It soon became known as the Dolphin Realm, as the dolphin was the symbol of the royal family. The history between the two realms (the Bubble was more of a town than it was a realm) has always been rocky, when a stray youth wants to pick fights they usually venture into the opposite realm and start fights and vandalism trails. When anything bad happens to either side, such as food shortages or illnesses circulating, the other is blamed, making relations even tenser. The council’s attempt to change relations was to have the royal line of the Bubble join with the line of the Dolphins and jointly unite the two realms, but in reality, even if the two royals mated, the realms could never truly be one. The Spines of the Bubble were too sheltered to live in the open sea, and the Snakes of the Dolphin were too wild to be sedated, too antsy to sit through a customs meeting, too rowdy to live in an enclosed space.

Yoongi and Hyungwon were introduced to each other at a young age with the label of _mates_ slapped on to the two in hopes of union dreams being fulfilled. At the time, neither was aware of what they were truly meant to be, what their labels meant. After sneaking out one day and overhearing a council meeting, they both decided it would be best to remain as friends, purely to spite the greedy elders of the council.

While Hyungwon and Yoongi went through the most realm drama, Taehyung and Minhyuk were the second, forgotten children around the same age. They would disappear for days without anyone except Hyungwon or Yoongi noticing to their delight. The two of them were headaches to anyone they crossed paths with, pranking and terrorising their way through their youth. But as they grew older, the less they saw of each other. Along with Taehyung’s added responsibilities to keep him out of trouble, and Minhuyk opening his shop, the two of them had stopped speaking to one another almost completely. The last time Taehyung had even _seen_ Minmin was at a stuffy council meeting where ocean pollution and the coral reefs were discussed. All that really happened was Spines slandering humans and Spines in power trying to one-up one another. It was suffocating, to say the least.

Not looking ahead of him, Taehyung swam smack into a farm of seaweed. Humans had to look where they were walking, Spines had to look where they were swimming. At least he got a good laugh out of Jimin.

‘I forgot how often you zone out when you’re swimming.’

‘I forgot how obnoxious you can be when you’re swimming.’

Jimin tosses rocks at him but misses badly.

Just over a boulder, sits the cove Minhyuk works out of. It looks more like an evil layer than it does anything else. Tae thinks back to his little souvenir shop and feels a pang of longing in his chest. It’s barely been half a sun cycle, and he already misses his shop and his favourite human. _You can do this Tae, you won’t be here forever._

Outside the cove entrance is flowing seaweed illuminated in an eerie blue glow, the walls are carved with strange shapes that glow in the same blue light. Taehyung finds Minhyuk in the back of the cove, bent over a cauldron of something, white hair floating around his face in concentration.

‘Minhyuk! It’s your favourite Spine. I’ve brought a straggler as well.’ Jimin calls into the cove. Minhyuk looks up, startled, but smiles when he sees his guests.

‘Jiminie! TaeTae!’ He moves to swim over, then stops as if he just remembers what he was doing. ‘I’ll be right with you in a sec, I gotta finish this.’

‘What is it?’

‘A regrowth serum. Some stupid Snake managed to sever one of their arms.’

‘Doing what?’

‘I’m not too sure, all I know is that it involved fish hooks and seaweed.’ After a few more moments of Minhyuk silently staring at his cauldron, he gathers most of it in a jar and disappears out the front of his cove, reappearing not much later, tackling Taehyung in a hug. ‘So, how’s the human realm?’ he asks, still clinging on tightly to Taehyung.

‘It’s really bright. Humans don’t glow, the sun glows for them, _and_ it's warm.’

‘Sounds better already, when are we going?’

‘Minmin, don’t encourage him. It was hard enough to get him back here.’ Jimin rolls his eyes.

Minhyuk frowns. ‘You’re no fun Jiminie. But you never have been. How long you back TaeTae?’

Taehyung sighs and turns around to face his childhood friend. While he still looks like Minhyuk,  he’s changed. His tail no longer looks too long for his torso, and his blue scales are now shiny and fully shaped. The patches of scales around Minhyuk’s eyes are no longer flaky and peeling, but a brilliant teal. Minhyuk’s glow is stronger from when he left, and his fins look sturdier. But Minhyuk’s eyes have changed the most. While the still have their mischievous glint to them, they look more malicious than they do playful. Along with the way his shoulders slump slightly, to the irritable twitching in his tail, it tells Taehyung that not everything has been calm tides since he’s left.

‘I’m back to sort out what I need to, then I plan on returning. Between us, I’m hoping Yoongi banishes me to the human realm.’ Minhyuk’s eyes grow wide, but before he can say anything, Taehyung continues. ‘It’s been relieving while I’ve been up there. The responsibilities I have I took on myself, I have friends who don’t know who I am, so they like me for the me they see. There’s no council to berate me or judge me or restrain me. It's...it’s the freedom I never had here.’

‘But if you’re banished, you can’t ever return, whether it be the Bubble _or_ the Dolphin. The council pretty much has their heads up Yoongi’s fins the whole moon cycle, and Hyungwon is being drowned in war requests from the Dolphin, treaty nonsense from the Bubble, as well as accusations from the Bubble. Some of the council members are trying to pin your actions on Hyungwon, and it hasn’t been pretty.’

‘That’s why I’m here, to fix everything I messed up when I swam off. I was gonna head straight to the Bubble, but...’

‘Have you ever transformed into a human?’ Jimin asks.

‘I’ve never been to the surface, so I’ve never had a reason too.’ Minhyuk eyes Jimin suspiciously.

‘The transformations aren't the smoothest thing, so I was hoping you could brew me something for pain, and maybe a glow strengthener.’

Minhyuk smiles. ‘It would be my pleasure. Just promise to show my around your beloved surface one day and we have ourselves a deal!’ Tae just nods in agreement, ignoring the disapproving glares Jimin is sending his way.

Minhyuk goes to work in an empty cauldron, and after a minute, Minhyuk has a thick greenish looking concoction. ‘I know it looks awful, but if you don't want to be in any more pain, pour up. And don’t worry about the colour too much. It’s green because of the algae.’

‘Oh boy, I love algae.’ It tastes kinda like kale, but slimier. Despite it being bitter, Taehyung does feel better, lighter. And his glow seems a bit brighter.

‘Not too many Spines or Snakes know, but our glow is connected to our energy levels. So once you’ve rested a full night, you should be pain-free and full glow.’

Tae smiles at his friend. ‘Thanks Minmin. I promise I’ll visit again before I leave. And I’ll try to get some of that council nonsense sorted out for you.’

After they leave, a good distance from the cove, Jimin asks, ‘So what did it taste like. I’ve heard Minmin’s amazing at making those things, but he makes them taste horrendous out of spite.’

‘Have you ever had kale?’

‘Kaeele? What's that?’

‘It’s a human food. It’s like seaweed, but drier and more bitter. It tastes like kale, but slimy.’

‘So, bitter seaweed?’

‘ _Old bitter seaweed_.’

‘That’s his way of saying you’re an ass for not taking him with you.’

‘You can stop rubbing it in, ya know.’

‘I don’t think I ever will.’

‘Whatever, just lead the way to the Bubble's back door.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So (its like 4 am, please forgive the grammar errors)  
> I always think of things to put in these comments spots and forget what I was gonna say when I actually have to type out.  
> My dumbass finally learned to write stuff down. Wow. *applause*  
> Anyways  
> I know it’s been a while ㅠ.ㅠ I’m sorry. I've been busy...  
> Busy procrastinating  
> But!  
> I’m gonna try and update something at least once a month. I’ve written all the parts that I had planned for this story and hit a writer's block. Which usually leads to -  
> Yeah I started another story, but I’m gonna make sure I plan stuff out better before I even start posting it  
> I’m also a slow writer. Or I’ll just go long gaps of time without touching any of my works and forget everything I’ve ever written. (usually the second one) I’m also a computer science major in college, so writing gets pushed back often.  
> I can also be freakishly indecisive. Like, I’ve already rewritten this story twice and started doing it again. I wanted to challenge myself and put this story in present tense, but all it’s doing is making me question how accurate my grammar checker is.  
> Out of all the stuff I’ve ever posted on the internet, I don’t think I’ve ever finished anything. Which only makes me more determined to finish this. I’ve grown a ton as a writer (especially after looking at my old works: fucking scary) but I’m still not quite where I would like to be.  
> Another small note (my last I promise) is I was reading over this and I didn’t know what half of the vocabulary I used meant. I used a few words in a strange context, so I’ll try to post words in the end of chapter notes with their intended definitions. If I don’t post anything, it’s either not important or suppose to remain a mystery longer... or my two cell brain forgot
> 
> The Bubble: a living space for civilized Spines that is surrounded by a bubble of air, hidden deep in the sea  
> Spines: a creature with intelligence and a spine. A term used by merfolk to refer to intelligent life that lives within the Bubble  
> Snake: intelligent life that lives in Dolphin, or anything outside the Bubble


	6. Chapter 6

 

_Hoseok_

_Hoseok_

_What? Who is this?_

_It’s me._

_Very insightful, ‘me’._

_You know who I am._

_I swear if you give me another one of those cryptic answers-_

_I am you._

**_I’m done!_ **

_But you can’t be done. See, we only just met. I am your future._

_No u_

_You can deny me all you want, but we are meant to be together. It’s fate._

_Fate doesn't exist._

_You can’t deny it. The harder the push, the harder the pull. One of us will have to choose._

_Choose what? If this is some kind of trick question..._

_You already know the answer. Everything you seek for is within reach. It’s time for you to awaken, we’ll see each other soon._

 

Hoseok awakes with a start. Another strange dream with a conversation with a void. Ever since his weird fish boy encounter, they have plagued him nonstop. He still couldn’t wrap his head around everything that went down roughly a week ago. He pulled a stupid, nearly drowned, and was saved by some aquatic creature that claimed to be his mate. He must have hit his head on rocks harder than he thought.

Glancing at his phone, Hoseok groans. There’s no going back to sleep, despite it being 5:49 in the morning, so he may as well wake up and do something other than lay in bed and stare at his phone.

He throws on a sweatshirt from the floor and heads downstairs to see what's left in the fridge. Ever since Seokjin had shown up a few days ago, the fridge has been stocked with real food as opposed to leftover takeout and prepared meals.

It had been a very strange week. First, he finds out he has a half human half fish soulmate, and then willing agrees to meet up with him again just to make sure the night previous wasn't some strange acid trip or expired TLC. Then a panicky Seokjin appeared at his doorstep claiming he couldn’t live without Hoseok, yet whenever Hoseok confronted him about what was truly wrong, Jin either switched topics or curled into a stubborn ball and refused to do anything for the rest of the day.

But the strangest event out of everything has to be the dreams.

Hoseok has been dropped in a world of black water every time he finds himself asleep, only to escape when he abruptly wakes himself up by falling out of bed. Sometimes a disembodied voice tries to speak to him, sometimes it a nightmarish survival game where the water rises faster than he can think of how to escape, mercilessly drowning him. On better nights, the black void turns into the dark ocean, giving him an inkling of hope to try to make it to the surface before he runs out of air and wakes up in a startling cold sweat.

Maybe it was Yoongi’s way of cursing him. After they had promised to meet up three days later, Hoseok panicked and ran away from the cove last minute. The whole ‘Yoongi’ experience didn't feel real, like a very vivid acid trip. Showing up at the cove was one way to confirm his acid trip was a reality, to secure his sanity, but it also meant everything else was true: that there was intelligent life in an underwater ecosystem somewhere that humans were completely oblivious about. The thought not only sent Hoseok’s head spinning, but gave him something close to an anxiety attack and an existential crisis. He thought maybe confronting the source of his breakdown would help, but before he even saw Yoongi, he was running back to his sister's house before he could fully register what he was doing.

Hoseok just stares at his reheated galbi. Any thought of eating makes his stomach turn, but he doesn't want to waste anything Jin cooked. His staring contest with the reheated leftovers becomes so intense he doesn't notice Jin entering the kitchen until he steals Hoseok’s untouched plate of food.

‘I’m not too sure what it did to offend you, so I’ll help you out and eat it for you instead.’

‘I was hungry, but now I’m not.’

‘Excuse you, did you just insult my food?’

‘I just said I wasn’t hungry.’

Jin sighs, catching on to Hoseok’s mood. ‘Stop that. I’ve been in a mood bad enough for the two of us. Either tell me what's going on or stop sulking.’

‘Eat your own words, asshat. You can’t tell me to stop being moody when you yourself won't even talk about whatever sent you down here.’

Seokjin looks like he wants to be angry, but deep down, he knows Hoseok’s right. ‘Fine. But you can’t laugh at me. And you need to tell me what's going on with you. And clean the kitchen.’

‘Only if you do the laundry.’

Seokjin glares at Hoseok, and Hoseok just stares back. ‘Deal.’ A few beats of silence follow as Jin stares at his empty bowl, ‘I slept with Namjoon.’

‘About fucking time!’

‘And he remembers none of it.’

‘Wait, what the fuck?’

Jin leaned over the counter and hid his face in his hands. ‘We were at a party because stress and it was even worse because you were gone. You're usually the one who mediates our alcohol consumption and keeps me from doing anything stupid. I was pretty drunk and Joon was completely out of it. We somehow got back to his place and...yeah.’

‘How do you know he didn't remember anything? Wouldn’t he find it strange to wake up to someone naked with a bad hangover?’

‘I-I made it worse. I woke up early and panicked. I tried to leave but then grabbed the wrong set of keys so I had to go back and by then he was awake-’

‘Don’t tell me, you bullshitted your way out with excuses.’

‘I told him he got really smashed and threw up all over himself, so I took him home and threw him in the bathtub, then slept on the couch to make sure he didn't kill himself.’

‘And he believed all of it?’

‘I don't know, I left as soon as I found my keys.’

‘So you visiting me is really just you running away from Joon?’

‘Of course not! I miss you too! And you don't get to make this all about me, now it’s your turn. Speak child and share your own problems.’

‘Hey, you don't get to point this all at me!’

‘No, but we had an agreement and I told you my woes.’ Seokjin sets down his coffee mug and glares at Hoseok. ‘Spill.’

What was Hoseok to say? I found out my whole college career is a lie and there's intelligent life at the bottom of the sea and one of those creatures happens to be my soulmate? Yeah, no. That wasn't gonna fly...or swim. However...’

‘So I might have met this kid...’

‘ _Might have?’_

‘Ok, so I met someone.’

‘Elaborate, you blushing virgin.’

‘I-I’m not, it just, we, it's that...I promised to meetupwithhimafewdaysagobutpanickedandranaway.’

‘Wow, you fucked up.’

Hoseok groaned at the smirk Jin had on his face. ‘I feel really bad for standing him up, but I have no way to contact him again. And I want to see him again, but I... _he’s weird_.’ Hoseok settled for his lack of words.

‘If you had half a brain cell you would have gotten his number or his Kakao before you two met up again.’

‘He doesn't have a cell phone. I don’t think he’s from around here either.’

‘Well, neither are you. But what kinda weirdo doesn't have a cellphone? Is he super paranoid about the government tracking his every move or something? Wait, did you woo a drug lord? Shit, what if he’s a mafia boss?’

‘I meant I don't think he’s from Korea, Seokjin. And maybe he did have a phone, but no service on it.’

‘Why do you always seem to attract the weirdest people?’

‘I mean, we are friends...’

‘I _will_ pour the remainder of this sad, not very hot cup of coffee on your manga collection.’

‘No! Not my one piece copies!’

‘Your love life is as dry as your one piece mangas. Try finding him again. This town isn't that big, I’m sure you’ll run into him again.’

 _Maybe all I need to do is drown again to see him. Or maybe I can force Jin to drown me. I don’t really think he wants to see me after-_ ‘Yeah, sure.’

‘Great, now let's go back to bed, it's too early to be alive.’ Jin ends up dragging Hoseok back to the guest bedroom where his half-awake self latches onto his side in a death cuddle and doesn't let go even after he wakes up.

 

* * *

 

Fishing is fun, they said. Fishing pays well, they said. Easy, relaxing, fast money, they said.

He is a fool. A complete and total fool for falling for their lies.

Changkyun is bored. So bored he wants to die. Or return to shore. Or jump off the side of his boat and drown. His roommate Jooheon had lowkey kinda not really kicked him out for reasons unknown, so Changkyun did the first thing he could think of: borrow his uncle's boat and go fishing. Fishing usually is a mindless pleasure, but today, Changkyun is cursed with loud thoughts and plagued with an active mind. It made the time pass unbearably slow and fishing un-fun.

It didn’t help he has yet to catch anything.

The currents seem to be against him today, no matter what bait he sets, and no matter where he tosses his nets, he couldn’t seem to catch anything. Even when he changes out his bait or tries to spear stuff from the side of his boat (like those crazy survival guys he's seen off youtube), still nothing. Changkyun feels like he’s living in a bad game of animal crossing, which he should have brought along with him. Maybe if he spent the past three hours de-weeding his virtual village instead of staring at the murky blue waves, he would feel slightly more productive.

As great as a waste of time fishing is, Changkyun doesn't want to do it anymore. He feels like he’s slowly going crazy, and the faster he gets back onto solid ground, the sounder his head will be. He can always call Joohoney to see if he’s done with...his whatever, and if he’s not he can go hiking on that new trail he found, or dig another sand grave and pretend he’s dead.

As Changkyun goes to pull his net in, the boat keens sharpy to one side, and Changkyun falls flat on his face, nearly crashing into the side of his boat. Did he finally catch something? It would be just his luck, to decide to head back in, to call it a day, and hit a school of fish. He runs over to the switch box and switches the lever up for the mechanical pulley to pull up his alleged catch for the day.

Whatever he caught must be big, it keeps fighting against the draw of the net, straining the pulleys, stalling the motor. Changkyun now worries he’ll have to cut the net to save the boat from toppling over. The switch box is starting to make a strange grinding sound that does not sound pleasant or right.

He should cut the net. He’ll probably have to release what it picked up anyways.

But what if he got lucky? What if he just picked up a good amount of fish and some bay trash?

Would an old tire struggle this hard?

Making a last minute decision, Changkyun grabs the top of the net and pulls in an attempt to help the motorized pulley system. It works, and soon he has a decent catch for the day.

 _Now_ it’s time to head in.

Shut off the switch box, start the motor, turn the boat back to the bay, and actually return with profitable merch and dinner.

But at first glance, nothing seems so big that he’d have to throw it back into the bay in fear of violating the fishing codes. Nothing looks like a semi-melted glob of plastic or an old tire or a waterlogged mattress either.

So what made pulling up the net so difficult?

Being the poor soul he was, the fishing boat didn’t have one of those fancy conveyor belts that sorted all his catches out for him, and for a while, Changkyun’s sole goal in life was to obtain one. As much as he loves fishing, ad much as he loves _cooked_ fish, Changkyun could not stand raw fish. He hates the smell, he hates the taste, but most of all, he hates touching and handling raw fish. _So slimy._ It’s why he catches the fish, and his uncle sorts the fish.

The longer Kyun stares at his net full of fish, the more creeped out he was by it. It seems almost too still to be full of not quite dead fish, and it feels like something from inside it is staring at him. Which is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous...

Changkyun is only halfway through cutting the fishing net when it happens. The thing that he caught, the force that was making his life that much harder, lashes out, its sharp talons catching on Kyun’s writs. He cries out in more pain than surprise, dropping his knife. But it’s only after he catches sight of what scratched him does Kyun panic.

‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I didn't mean to snag you, I swear!’ Holy shit, he caught a person! No wonder his net was so heavy. But what were they doing swimming in the bay this far out? Changkyun’s boat was well out past the buoys, so what- why...? ‘What were you doing this far-

‘Oh.’

Changkyun had _not_ caught a person. People had legs; his latest catch did not. He had a humanoid face and torso, but where legs would normally be is a gleaming fishtail at least two-thirds of Changkyun’s height. Upon closer inspection, the merboy did not look happy in the slightest. He looks rather pissed, but Changkyun supposes he would be too if some human reeled him in during a daily swim.

‘Uhhhh...a-again sorr-y.’ His voice came out soft and scratchy. ‘I didn’t mean to catch you, uh, kid? You can go back to, uh, whatever you were doing.’

Merboy didn't like that. Instead of flopping back over the edge of the boat and into the sea, he lunges at Changkyun with a loud snarl, talons outstretched. Kyun screams and scrambles back in fear, almost falling off his boat. Merboy jerks back suddenly, hitting his face on the deck of the boat and turns around to snarl at something.

Changkyun’s net saves his life. The merboy’s tail is all caught in the fishing net, a few of the hooks have even found purchase between merboy’s scales, holding him back. Merboy scratches at them, wailing loudly in pain when they dig in deeper. Changkyun doesn't know what possesses him to help, but before he knows what he’s doing, he is within arms reach of the sea creature and slowly edging closer. To Kyun’s surprise, Merboy just watches him with a disdainful glare.

‘The more you move, the more it will hurt. Stay still.’ He reaches for one of the hooks, eyes never leaving Merboy’s face. Merboy’s eyes are trained on his hands, a mixture of rage and fear boiling in them. Miraculously, Merboy lets Changkyun take out the first hook. It’s awful and bloody and squishy and a whole new range of strange textures. The sea creature’s tail is made up of hard scales, some of which are quite sharp. But the flesh underneath the scales the hooks have found a home in is soft and tender. A grey stream of bodily fluid follows the hook once it’s been removed and shows no sign of stopping. When the second hook is removed, the merboy chokes out something unintelligible between a swear word and a cry of pain.

The third hook is attached to the fishing net and more deeply embedded in the fish’s tail. As soon as Changkyun touches it, Merboy flinches violently, inching away from Kyun’s hand.

‘Hey woah, stop moving. It’ll only embed itself deeper if you move with it in. So...stop.’ Changkyun’s words seem to have no impact on Merboy, but he seems to have calmed down. Changkyun reaches for the third fish hook again, only to get his hand bitten.

‘Ouch! Fuck, what the hell bastard! I’m trying to help.’ The little bitch had a strong jaw and very sharp teeth and had latched his face into the meat of Changkyun’s palm. Changkyun, his dumb ass, tries to jerk his hand back, tearing it out of the fish’s mouth along with his palm. Changkyun hisses, which startles merboy, causing him to shriek in pain at moving the third hook.

‘Stop moving! You brainless- Ugh, it’s not worth it.’ As awful as Changkyun feel leaving the sea creature there in his current state, there isn't much he can do for the kid. His hand is torn up and throbbing, no thanks to his current company, and he has little to no medical equipment on the fishing boat (other than antiseptic). Would a fish have an allergic reaction to hydrogen peroxide? Now was not the time to find out.

With great difficulty and one hand, Changkyun manages to get the boat heading back to shore. As soon as he manages to dock the boat and secure it so he’s sure it won't float back into the open ocean, he books it back home. Fuck Jooheon; it’s an emergency and he can learn to adapt. Halfway down the dock, he stops, thinking about what would happen if someone spots the giant fish on his boat. The best scenarios end in numerous questions and mild harassment, and the worst end up with Changkyun or his grandfather in some sort of quarantined government facility. Changkyun turns back to the boat and fishes a tarp out of a butt box that has seen way too many fishing trips and storms. Despite its well worn and holly nature, it will do its job.

He warily approaches merboy. ‘I’m gonna go get some first aid stuff for, uh, you and my hand. Don’t move if you don’t have to, you’ll only make it worse. And I’m gonna cover you so other people don't see you. Keep the tarp on you. Now stay.’ He was gifted with a few hisses and a high pitched yelp as his reply. Rolling his eyes, he gently covered the creature the best he could and ran off the boat back to his house.

Jooheon was nowhere in sight when he got back, which both concerns and annoys Changkyun. Jooheon kicks him out of the house, then runs off himself. Whatever. Kyun runs around grabbing everything he thinks he could possibly need: First aid kit, knife, snacks. What do mermaids eat? Fish? Seaweed? krill? He decides to play it safe and tosses a frozen fish into a ziplock baggy. Worst case: fish boy denies his peace offering and then Changkyun has a defrosted fishy to cook for dinner. Should he grab any clothes for the fish boy? He can’t wear pants, but what about a spare blanket or a towel or a jacket?

Changkyun tosses them all in his bag just in case.

 

* * *

 

By the time Changkyun gets back to his boat, the sun is starting to set, making the sky turn a sickly orange colour over the water. His accidental fishy friend has the tarp wrapped around him with just his head poking out, staring at the sunset in awe. If fish boy hadn’t bitten his hand earlier, it would almost be cute.

‘Have you never seen a sunset before?’ Changkyun asks, setting his bag down.

The merkid jerks, startled and then wines in pain. Right, the hooks are still embedded in his tail. The closer Changkyun gets to the tarp, the tighter the kid draws it around himself. He kneels down eye level with the boy. ‘I need to take the last hooks out. After that, it will stop hurting.’

Fish boy looks at him, slightly less angry. ‘S-stop?’

‘Yeah, stop hurting. But I gotta take them out first.’

The merkid hesitates and then loosens his grip on the tarp. When pulling it away, Changkyun makes sure the tarp doesn't catch on any of the fishing hooks. Instead of the large grey and red tail that was present earlier, now the fish boy’s torso ended in a pair of scratched up legs, with the largest fishhook embedded behind his knee. All Changkyun can do is stare. He’s not crazy, right? Did he really did catch a mer kiddo earlier, or was it all a trick of the light and a bad case of sunstroke?

Whatever the kid was, he was in for a world of pain with this last fish hook. It was a barbed hook, and it was in pretty far, so he needs to push it through the skin to cut the barb off, to be able to slide it back out. This was gonna be so much fun, sea boy is definitely gonna hate him now.

‘This last one’s gonna hurt a lot. Keep still and it will hurt less.’ Changkyun looked up to start ocean boy in the eyes, and after a silent minute stare off, ocean boy nodded slowly.

Push, cut, pull out. Push, cut, pull out. Push...

When the barbs broke skin, fish boy wailed. Really loudly. It was a wonder people weren't stopping by to see what was happening. The wail was so sad and full of pain. He did this, Changkyun is the one who caused it. Why was he doing this? He should stop, and throw himself in the sea to repent-

Where did _that_ thought come from? Yeah fish boy was in pain, and yeah, it is kinda his fault, but the faster he gets this damn hook out, the less in pain the kid will be. The barbs are quickly cut off and the hook gets pulled out. Fish boy’s still wailing.

‘I’m gonna get you some peroxide and a bandaid, so, uh, don't move? Not like you’d want to.’ Changkyun tosses the now useless fishhook into the sea and moves towards his bag to pull out healing supplies and the spare pair of pants he brought. Good thing he did, there’s no way a humanoid creature would get away with walking around town naked. Shirtless yes, but in a birthday suit would get you arrested for public indecency.

Then Changkyun hears the splash.

He turns back around, and where sea kid used to be is a pile of grey fluid. Blood? Sweat? Liquified self hated? The splashing continues. He drops the pants and healing supplies and looks over the side of the boat.

There’s his missing sea boy, but something seems wrong. Maybe its the fact that he keeps resurfacing with loud gasps, or the fact he's trying to grab on to something. Or the fact that he’s shouting in a language that's clearly not Korean.

_Nani the actual fuckle-_

Whatever it is, it causes Changkyun to end up going over the side as well, shirtless and shoeless. Maybe he should have grabbed two pairs of extra pants.

The kid keeps flailing and then starts to sink. ‘Stupid fish kid.’ Changkyun mutters, now more annoyed at himself. This could have all been avoided if he just hadn’t gone fishing. 'Maybe he is just a regular human, who can't swim... Wait, the fuck, then how-?'  _did this little bastard get into my fishing net?_

What do you do when a flailing kid is drowning? Changkyun had never been the strongest swimmer, yet he manages to get by. His uncle had made him take a bunch of swim classes, as well as a swim rescue class before he even let him on his fishing boat. He’s pretty sure the protocol for rescuing a flailing child is to let them drown. Wait, no. That doesn't sound right, that’s not saving, that letting nature have her wishes.

_Let them ‘drown’ so they stop failing, and then pull them to safety, dumbass._

_Ahhhhh, wait, shit where’s the kid?_

Changkyun dives under the murky water, the salt stinging his eyes and the water filling his nose. He can just barely make out a form beneath him that must be his missing merchild. Good thing: he stopped flailing. Bad thing: he stopped moving. Changkyun manages to swim down deep enough to grab his wrist and haul him back to the surface.

Next objective: get self plus unconscious, heavy once-fish-now-human kiddo back on the boat.

He really should have just stayed in town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * I have no idea how fishing works outside of hook-n-bait pole fishing. So I sincerely apologize if I have offended your sensitive soul with my inaccurate description of net fishing. The only research I did was google images on how nets are attached to fishing boats. So here’s a bridge to get over it.
> 
> 🌉
> 
>  
> 
> And yeah, I know its been like nine years ;_;  
> I'm trying my best


End file.
